Until This Lie Do Us Part
by TVDVampire
Summary: You are supposed to get married because you are in love. But for Stefan, marriage was just a means to an end. Stefan/Elena with other characters popping up.
1. Chapter 1

**I am back with a new story! The characters will be slightly out of character as we know them on The Vampire Dairies. All-Human too. As much as I enjoy the supernatural stuff, I think for my own sanity, I need to write something a little different while I try and not become traumatized by this third season of the show! My previous readers know how much I love Stefan and Elena, so do not be thrown off by the beginning! Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**

**Summary: You are supposed to get married because you are in love. But for Stefan, marriage was just a means to an end.**

Mystic Falls, Virginia. A small, quaint little town, he thought. Though, it had grown significantly since he had last visited. There were a few more gas stations and quite a bit more homes. But he was here for a long stay this time, seeing as how he had been given the exquisitely large boarding house at the edge of town.

Rich Boy. Trust Fund Baby. He had been called worse. His family had money. Well, what was left of his family. His older brother Damon lived in New York. His uncle, Zach, lived an hour away in Richmond. Stefan and Damon's parents had died when they were very young, leaving Uncle Zach in charge of their care. Uncle Zach had moved the boys to New York with him shortly after the accident.

The boys attended the best private schools in the state of New York. They were given anything and everything they wanted. Thanks to Uncle Zach's successful publishing company and a long line of family wealth, Stefan and Damon had never known what it was to go without.

As Stefan sat in the booth at a popular hangout in Mystic Falls – The Grill, he briefly reminisced about his days in Mystic Falls. When he was a child, he would often come with his uncle and brother to spend the summer at the boarding house. His uncle always thought the small town air was good for them. A bit of a break from the big city. That, and Stefan and Damon's parents had grown up in Mystic Falls. It was good for the boys to know where their parents had grown up, Uncle Zach had said.

Now that Stefan had been given the family boarding house in Mystic Falls, he figured he might as well use it. Sure, New York was a lot of fun. But a small town suited his purposes more so than the big city.

Although Stefan had enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life, he wanted more. As in, 12 million more, to be exact. Dear old deceased Great Aunt Judith had left Stefan, her favorite nephew, a good chunk of change when he was ready for it. Now, at 25 years of age, he was more than ready for it. The only problem was one specific line of text. In order for Stefan to gain access to his trust fund from his great aunt, he had to marry. The money was for his new family, to make sure they were financially secure and could continue to live the privileged life that all Salvatores lived. Uncle Zach was now in charge to make sure the money was dispersed upon Stefan's commitment to marriage.

But everyone laughed at the thought of Stefan finding a girl who would put up with him long enough to marry him. As far as Damon was concerned, that money would rot away because his younger brother would never marry. Damon, though, was bitter. No such deal was offered to him.

So here Stefan was, staring out a window at The Grill in Mystic Falls, stirring his coffee and ignoring what his longtime friend, Alaric, was telling him. "You know you actually have to marry in order to get that 12 million, right?" Alaric asked him, taking a drink of his coffee. "Who the hell is going to want to marry you?" he asked. Stefan turned back to glare at his friend. Stefan had the looks, that was for sure. And he had plenty of money. But he was self-centered, arrogant, and a bit of an ass. Stefan believed that he could buy anything and anyone.

"Please. Any girl would be more than willing to marry me as long as I gave her some money" Stefan said, waving his hand around at the abundance of girls in the small diner.

"Yeah, but you can't bring home some tramp who would marry you for a little money" Alaric reminded him. "This has to be believable. The girl would have to be smart and play the part of being happily in love with you. This is going to be harder than you think" Alaric sighed.

Stefan rolled his eyes at his friend's comment. "I think you're just bitter that you followed me all the way out here" Stefan told him. "You can go back to New York. No one is stopping you."

Alaric laughed. "And risk missing this whole stupid plan of yours blow up in your face?" he asked. "Nah."

"My plan is fool proof. I just need to find the right girl" Stefan said, looking around the diner. There were a few girls eating. They looked young, like high school age. That would not work. But a small town surely had to be crawling with young women who were bored out of their minds and needing a little extra cash.

"You know, you could always marry for love and do this the way your dead, great aunt wanted you to" Alaric suggested.

Stefan snorted. He didn't want to fall in love, nor did he have any desire to marry for longer than he needed to for this trust fund to disperse. Falling in love and thinking he had found the one? Been there, done that. That had blown up in his face. "All I need to do is convince a girl to marry me by offering her a little money. Stay married to me for six months like the clause in the document states, and then get the hell out of my life and never talk to me again" Stefan explained. It was simple.

"There's no way in hell that your uncle will believe your marriage is real" Alaric countered. "And then you will have wasted your time and the time of some poor girl who was stupid enough to go along with you" he added.

"Twelve million" Stefan stated. "Twelve million Alaric. Do you know what I could do with that?" he asked.

Alaric smirked. "Donate it to a children's hospital?" he asked. He really did love his dear old friend Stefan, but sometimes, even he couldn't tolerate Stefan.

Stefan shook his head in disagreement. "I could start a chain of strip clubs. Or buy shares in something" Stefan said, pondering the ideas he had.

"You're ridiculous" Alaric pointed out as he downed the last of his coffee. But his attention was soon focusing on someone else. He smiled as the pretty young waitress approached.

"Can I get you two anything else?" she asked, stopping at their table.

Stefan looked up at her and a smile appeared on his face. She had long straight brown hair that framed around her face and extended down her back. She had little makeup on, but she didn't look too bad without it Stefan thought. She was kind of plain, but in a cute sort of small town way. She had light blue jeans on and a deep purple t-shirt, complete with the dark blue apron. He read her nametag. "Well, Elena" he said, flicking his eyes up to meet hers. "I could really go for your number" he said, his best flirting tone in use coupled with his to-die for smile. It worked every time.

Elena tore her eyes away from Alaric and looked down at Stefan. He had perfect light brown hair with green eyes. He was dressed in a black button down and dark jeans, from what she could tell. She suddenly smiled at the young man before her. But there was a spark in her eyes, Stefan noticed. "I'm sorry, but I am all out of giving my number to arrogant pigs who only want to get me into their bed" she said confidently, tearing the check off and placing it on the table. "Have a nice day" she said, giving Alaric a genuine smile and then glaring at Stefan.

Alaric waited for Elena to walk away before bursting into laughter. Stefan was less than thrilled as he shot a glare at Alaric. Stefan never got turned down by a girl. Ever. "Not only were you turned down. You got your ass handed to you" he laughed. Suddenly though, Stefan's glare turned into a contemplating smirk. "Oh no. What is that look?" Alaric asked cautiously, his laughter dying down some.

"She's it" Stefan smiled. "Elena is the girl I need to help me pull off this marriage" he said, smacking the table as he stood. He was brilliant. Definitely brilliant. She had spunk and spunk is what he needed to navigate his family.

Alaric groaned as Stefan left in the direction Elena had. This was a terrible, terrible idea. But, Alaric was kind of curious to watch it all play out.

Until This Lie Do Us Part

I am back with a new story! The characters will be slightly out of character as we know them on The Vampire Dairies. All-Human too. As much as I enjoy the supernatural stuff, I think for my own sanity, I need to write something a little different while I try and not become traumatized by this third season of the show! My previous readers know how much I love Stefan and Elena, so do not be thrown off by the beginning!

Summary: You are supposed to get married because you are in love. But for Stefan, marriage was just a means to an end.

**A/N: So, what do you think? I am kind of liking feisty Elena.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, thank you for all of the interest! I am glad you all seem to like playboy Stefan and feisty Elena. They are a lot of fun to write. I am trying to be extremely careful not to portray Stefan as Damon because I am not writing a Damon and Elena story here. But if Stefan can be badass on the show right now, I think he can be a bit of a playboy in my story : ) **

**I will give out one hint. Elena is feisty for a reason. And that reason will be revealed, to both you all and to Stefan later on.**

**I have also had a request to write the Christmas Break scene from my previous story, My Life Without You. I think I will do that, but I want to get this story going a little more. I'll let you know when I decide to write it!**

**Thank you all so much!**

Stefan trailed after Elena, determined to do what he did best. Charm the hell out of her until she was practically agreeing to anything he said without even thinking about it. He found her with her back to him, looking through a shelf as she did inventory. "Excuse me" he said, standing less than a foot away from her.

Elena turned around, slightly taken aback by how close he was standing to her. "What?" she bit out. He held his cool though. She was just testing him, seeing if he was man enough to handle her. Which he was. Elena became even more irritated that he hadn't said anything yet. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm busy" she informed him in an icy tone, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. She knew his type. The rich guy who was used to getting whatever and whoever he wanted, no matter how much he inconvenienced everybody else.

Stefan smiled at her, which only infuriated her. "I think we got off on the wrong foot" he told her. "I can be a little direct sometimes when I see something I want" he continued. He thought that might flatter her. Elena fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Let me make it up to you. How about dinner tonight?" he suggested. He could tell that she was thinking about turning him down. He had to step up his game. Stefan stepped even closer to her, blocking any escape she might have. His voice got quieter, trying to set the atmosphere to something a little bit more intimate, even if they were in a crowded diner. "Come on, it'll be fun. And then maybe afterwards …" he smirked, figuring she could use her own imagination. He sure was using his. And it involved her clothes on the floor and mind-blowing sex in his bed. Well, it might have started on the kitchen counter, moved to the staircase, and then ended up in his bed. Possibly the shower afterwards, depending on how tired he was. But he snapped out of the remarkable daydream to focus on her in the present.

Stefan searched her eyes, finding what he thought was her giving in. Women just couldn't resist him. He placed a hand on her waist, his thumb caressing her in the process. Women were known to melt into a puddle on the floor at the very simple act of his touch.

In the next moment, his body was being spun around and the side of his face came crashing into the wall, his arm twisted up behind his back. Elena stepped closer behind him, continuing to hold his arm in place and making sure he was not going to move. She brought her mouth just below his ear to make sure he heard her good. "Touch me again, and you will lose your hand. Got it?" she asked in a low voice.

Stefan stood pressed against the wall, trying to figure out what in the hell happened. This young, small girl had him almost in tears as she applied more and more pressure to his arm, waiting for him to confirm that he understood. Stefan nodded, and barely squeezed out an "okay" for her. He was ashamed to have had his ass kicked by a girl. Especially the girl he was trying to charm.

Elena shoved him harder into the wall as she let go. Stefan turned around and brought his arm up to his chest, rubbing it slightly. She was still glaring at him. He wasn't going to give in though. "You know" he smiled. "You're sexy as hell when you're mad" he winked.

"Oh, you haven't seen me mad yet" she promised him. "So leave me the hell alone" she said, turning and going back to wait on another table.

Stefan watched her navigate around the small diner. His arm still hurt like hell, but he couldn't help but think how perfect she would be. If she had this much spunk in public, she must have been a real firecracker in the bedroom. As much as he would have loved to stand there again and think about their escapades in his bed (or kitchen, shower … on the stairs), he shook the thought from him mind. He had a lot of work to do.

Stefan made his way back to his table. "So, how did it go?" Alaric asked, failing to hold back the largest grin. "Are you guys planning your wedding yet?" he teased.

"I've got some work to do, but she'll come around" Stefan shrugged. "Come on, let's get back to the house. I need your help getting the furniture moved" Stefan said. Alaric stood and Stefan took out his wallet. Stefan took out three one hundred dollar bills and tossed them on the table. Alaric raised an eyebrow at him. "What?" Stefan asked? "The service might have sucked. But I think she's a work in progress" he smirked, pocketing his wallet and walking out of the diner.

Elena watched him go and she then made her way to the table to collect the payment. She froze when she saw the three hundred dollars on the table. The bill came to less than 20 dollars. Elena picked up the money and examined it. "That son of a bitch" she said, staring out the window and watching him get into his red Porsche. What baffled her the most was why he was so interested in her. She was a waitress in a small town who had turned him down. She could not understand why she would be worth his time and effort if she wasn't willing to put out right away. Whatever his reasons were, Elena sadly realized that she would probably be seeing him again.

And she was right. The obnoxious man came strutting through the door of The Grill early the next morning. The breakfast rush was already over, so two of the girls were on break. Elena sighed as she realized she would have to wait on him. "Just be civil" she told herself. Self-talk was never her strong suit. Elena grabbed her pen and notepad and made her way over to his table. Stefan put his menu down and smiled at her expectantly. She then noticed that a rather exquisite bouquet of flowers was sitting next to him in the booth. "Good morning" he said, grabbing for the flowers. "These are for you" he said, handing the flowers to her.

"For what?" Elena asked, crossing her arms. "Haven't I made myself perfectly clear that I want nothing to do with you …" she paused, remembering that she had never gotten his name.

"Stefan" he told her, his smile never disappearing. "And, I don't believe you have given me a fair chance" he pointed out.

"What do you want?" she finally asked. "Just cut to the chase." She eyed him suspiciously and Stefan held back the urge to grin.

"I want the eggs, over easy, with a side of hash browns" he said, his smirk finally making a presence. He watched as she fought like hell not to blow up on him right on the spot. He was getting under her skin. His plan was working. "Please, do take your flowers" he said, holding them out to her once again.

Elena ripped them out of his hands and huffed back toward the counter. She threw the flowers in the garbage can as she walked by. "Stupid, arrogant, son of a …" she mumbled as she placed the order for the cook. She busied herself with organizing supplies until his order was ready.

When it was ready, Elena groaned internally as she made the grueling walk back over to his table. She set his plate down with more force than was necessary. "Anything else?" she asked, her fakest smile appearing as she asked.

"No thank you" he replied politely, greatly confusing her. As Elena walked away, she turned back to study him. He was busy with his breakfast and did not acknowledge her.

"Hey Elena" her manager said, diverting her attention away from that Stefan guy. "One of the other girls just got back. Why don't you take half an hour and come back" he suggested. Elena just simply nodded, a little irritated that she would miss out on half an hour's pay, but knowing she had no choice either. Elena took her apron off and grabbed her purse, making her way out the front door.

Stefan watched her leave and hurried up to finish his breakfast, determined to catch up with her. As soon as he was out the door, he saw her cross the street and take a seat on the bench. It was a bit chilly out he noticed. And then an idea came to him. He ran back inside and ordered two hot chocolates to go.

As soon as he crossed the street and approached her, she glared at him. "It's getting cold out here" he said, sitting down next to her. "Hot chocolate?" he asked, holding it out to her.

"Seriously?" she asked, standing up. "Seriously!" she yelled, startling him some. "What the hell is your deal?" she asked him angrily. "Are you some kind of creeper who is just going to follow me around everywhere?" she asked.

"I'm not a creeper" he said defensively. No girl had ever called him that before. Now he was irritated.

"Then what the hell does a playboy like you want with me?" she asked, folding her arms. "Because if it's sex, you are barking up the wrong tree buddy" she informed him.

Stefan set the drinks aside and grabbed her arm, pulling her back down on the bench. She looked at him like she would rip his arm right off for touching her. "Okay, you want to know what I want with you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Elena's eyes grew wide. He did want something. And he sounded serious. "I've got 12 million dollars waiting for me and I need your help to get it" he told her.

Elena's eyes grew bigger. "Twelve million?" she repeated.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah. Twelve million. And I can't touch it until I get married." He watched her reaction, but it was a blank stare.

"I … I don't understand where I fit into all of this" she said, shaking her head and standing once again. "I have to get back" she said, beginning to walk away.

Stefan grabbed her hand and stopped her. "Elena" he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "If we get married, I will give you some of the money" he told her. She was a waitress for God's sake. She probably needed the money more than anyone.

Elena took immediate offense. "Excuse me?" she asked him in disbelief. "Are you out of your frickin' mind?" she blurted out. She was dreaming. That had to be it. Or it wasn't a dream and he was crazier than hell.

"Think about it, Elena" he said in a low whisper as a couple walked by. "I need this money. And thanks to a pain in the ass clause in the document, I have to marry someone. I don't want to be married. I don't want to have responsibility. I just want the money" he told her. "All I have to do is stay married for six months, long enough for all of the I's to be dotted and T's to be crossed so the money can be distributed" he explained. "This would strictly be a business deal" he assured her.

"You're crazy" Elena announced. "I'm not marrying you. I wouldn't marry you for money. I wouldn't marry you if you were the last person on this Earth!" she spat angrily at him. "This conversation is over. Find some poor stupid girl to play along with you" she said, walking away.

"One million!" he called out after her. Elena stopped abruptly. One million? Dollars? She fought the urge to let her financial situation cloud her mind. Stefan walked up behind her and stopped. "One million and all you have to do is stay married to me for six months. I can go over the details more specifically. But nothing really has to change. Except, you have to be one hell of an actress to make my family believe this is real" he told her. He hadn't planned on giving any girl that much money, but he realized right away that Elena needed a larger incentive than most girls. She had principles, and morals, and all that crap.

Elena could kick herself for even thinking about it. She needed the money. But six months of Stefan? That would surely kill her before she even got her money. She turned around slowly. "I don't have to sleep with you?" she questioned.

Stefan smirked. "You don't have to, but, I can't say that you won't want to" he told her, thinking he was being cute.

"Forget it" she said, turning and leaving again.

God she was so sensitive. "Wait!" he said, running after her. "I was kidding" he said, only half telling the truth. She did not look convinced. "I won't expect anything of you except to make this believable in front of others" he told her.

"This is insane" Elena told him, feeling the urge to smack the hell out of him and leave.

"Probably" Stefan agreed. "But we can do this" he assured her. "We both win here." Elena looked past him, thinking. "Look, you don't have to decide right now. Just meet me for dinner tomorrow and we will discuss this in full." Elena looked hesitant. "Eight, my place, tomorrow night" he told her.

Elena blew out a frustrated breath. "Six, The Grill" she said instead. She was going to make the rules, not him.

"Done" Stefan agreed. Elena began walking away again, shaking her head. She was crazy. "I'll pick you up!" he called after her.

"I'll meet you there" she countered, calling back over her shoulder. She picked up her pace some and made her way back towards the diner.

Stefan smiled as he watched her walk away. No matter how he did it, he always got what he wanted. Elena was as good as his.

**A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought! I am always curious to know! Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: My apologies for taking so long to update. I am trying to finish my school work so I do not have to do any next weekend while I am away. I also had a bit of writer's block which is never any fun. This chapter sort of lays out the rules. The next chapter will get a tad bit more intimate as Stefan takes it upon himself to spend a little time with her : ) Think she'll like that?**

**Also, I think Damon and Katherine need to make an appearance soon.**

This was stupid Elena had decided. Seriously. She didn't even know Stefan. Just because he had said he wasn't a creeper, didn't mean that he wasn't. He could convince her to do this and then stab her to death when he got her alone. She shook the thought from her head. That was a little drastic. Maybe.

On the other hand, this marriage would be legally documented. People would know about it. It would be in the records at city hall. The whole town would hear about it.

She hated this. The whole idea of it. Sure, she had agreed to meet with him. But she was not going through with it.

As soon as Elena stepped into the diner, Stefan immediately waved her over to his booth in the corner. Elena took a deep breath and with her head held high, she made her way over to him. Elena let herself fall into the booth with a thud as he busied himself with papers. "We'll start with these first" he said, sliding a document over to her.

"I'm not doing this" Elena stared blankly. Stefan looked up at her, confused. In his mind, she had already said yes. "I can't subject myself to this. I don't even know you. And why are you looking at me like that!" she said, a little frustrated with him already.

Stefan tilted his head to the side and stared at her for a moment. "I already told you I wasn't a creeper" he reminded with a hint of playfulness in his voice. Elena did not find it funny. Or cute. Or whatever he was trying to be. "You can run a background check on me. I promise it will come up clean. Well, there was that incident in Miami a few years ago that I'm pretty sure might show up. Those cops down there really don't like you borrowing their cars" he winked.

Elena placed her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together in front of her. "Just because your record doesn't show anything doesn't mean you won't attack me given the first chance you get" Elena stated. "It just means you haven't been caught yet" she said pointedly.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "For God sakes woman, do you really think I would go to all this trouble to devise a plan to get married if all I wanted to do was attack you?" he asked. "If that's what I really wanted to do, I'd just hide outside and grab you when you left work for the night" he said casually, as if making his point in this way was not creepy at all.

Elena had a horrified look on her face. A very horrified look. She stood slowly, watching his every move and ready to scream bloody murder if she had to. Stefan stood, realizing that he may have just blown his chance because of his dumbass remark. "Don't" she warned, pointing a finger at him.

"I was kidding!" he said, throwing is hands up. "Lighten up will ya?" he asked her. Elena's horrified look turned into a glare. "And stop with the glaring. I know I'm an ass" he said, sitting back down. "Just sit, hear me out, and then decide, okay?" he asked. Elena studied him carefully for a moment before carefully sliding back into the booth. Stefan breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, this document right here" he said, tapping it. "Is the prenuptial agreement." Elena grabbed it and glanced at it. "Basically, it says that if we get divorced, which we will in six months' time, you will receive one million dollars from my inheritance. But you can't touch anything else of mine – the cars, the house, the rest of my money, stocks, etcetera" he finished. "Any questions?" he asked.

Elena placed the document on the table and looked him square in the eye. "How do I know you're actually going to give me the money?" she questioned suspiciously. "You claim this document says that I do, but how do I know it will be upheld in court?" she asked.

Stefan smiled. "Leverage" he answered simply and she cocked an eyebrow at this. "I can't get my money without you. I need a real marriage. When we divorce, if I didn't give you your money, I would fully expect you to go running around telling everyone the marriage was fake. Then my inheritance would be taken away and I would be back to living like a peasant" he shrugged.

"A peasant?" Elena scoffed. "You drive a Porsche" she reminded.

It was Stefan's turn to scoff. "Yeah, last year's model."

"You really are a piece of work" she said, shuffling the document across the table to him. "What's the next one?" she asked.

Stefan flipped to the first page and laid it out on the table. "This document states our own agreements while we are married" he explained. Elena looked on as he began to read. "Some of these are negotiable, some are not. I can also add any that you see fit and I will type up the final version tonight." Elena waited for him to continue. "First and foremost, you would have to move in with me" he said.

Elena laughed. "Me? Live with you? I don't think so" she said, waving him off. That was the stupidest thing he could have ever asked of her.

Stefan groaned. She was going to be difficult. "I thought you might react like that" he said, leaning over the table more. "This has to be real, Elena. Or it won't work" he reminded. "So, I have incentives." Elena perked up some, finding hilarity in the fact that he was having to bribe her. "While you are living with me, you can have your own room, though some of your things need to be in my room so it looks like we share a room" he said. "You also get use of my money for your personal needs" he added. "Shopping, travel …" he listed off. "Oh, and the best part? I'll even let you use my pool" he told her, giving her one of those grins that she already hated.

"Oh how generous of you" Elena said sarcastically. "Did the thought ever occur to you that living with you would be unbearable to the point where I would probably kill myself?" she asked.

Stefan ignored her theatrics. "You can quit this job" he said, waving around the room as he looked at the place.

"And live off of your peasant's salary?" she asked, mock offended. Stefan smirked. She was sarcastic. She would be a real match for his brother, he thought. "I don't think so. I would keep my job" she said.

Stefan smiled. "So that means you are thinking about it?" he asked hopeful.

"Keep reading" she ordered.

Stefan's eyes traveled back down to the paper, but not before getting a good look at her chest. That damn sweater was hiding far too much from him. But he got back on track before she noticed. "You would be required to attend all family and business functions" he told her. "Of course there would be an engagement party and then the wedding itself."

"Would there actually have to be a wedding?" she asked. "Couldn't we just elope?" she suggested, then mentally kicked herself for making him think she was yet again considering the idea.

"Oh, you have no idea how much I would love that and how much my family would despise it" Stefan replied. "We have to have the whole package. Food, flowers, attire, music, attendees, rings, vows …" he listed off in no particular order.

Elena let out an exhausted sigh. "That's a lot of things to consider" she replied.

"It really isn't" he disagreed arrogantly. "All you have to do is move in with me, wear a ring, and tell people you are my wife" he said as if it was no big deal at all.

This frustrated Elena to no end. "It is a big deal to me!" she spat, then lowered her voice when she saw people staring at her. "I have a lot going on in my life right now …" she trailed off. This was a big commitment. A big fat fake commitment.

Stefan grabbed her hand, sliding it across the table towards him. He took a ring out of his pocket with his other hand and slid it on to her ring finger. "Six months. One million dollars Elena" he told her.

Elena's eyes were fixated on the ring now on her hand. It was gigantic. She knew it must have cost him a fortune, but she wanted to give him a hard time anyway. The truth was, it was gorgeous. A white gold band she assumed, with one larger diamond surrounded by smaller ones. "Where'd you get this? Out of the machine at the arcade?" she asked.

Stefan smirked. "Remember how I keep telling you this all has to be believable? My family knows I would never skimp on a ring. Besides, it would be embarrassing for you to walk around wearing something of lesser quality" he said, clearly stating his view of those with less wealth than his own.

"Do you have any idea how much that comment just made you sound like an ass?" she asked.

Stefan shrugged. "I speak my mind. Get used to it" he said, leaning back in his seat. "So, are we gonna do this or what?" he asked.

Elena chewed on the inside of her lip momentarily. "Those were your conditions" she stated. Stefan nodded. "I want my own added in" she said confidently. Stefan eyed her, but brought his pen to the paper to jot them down. "You can't try and kiss me, or touch me, when we are not around your family and friends" she said seriously.

Stefan smiled as he wrote it down. "Trust me, you will be laughing at yourself for ever coming up with something so stupid" he said, shaking his head. She would be all over him in no time.

Elena felt her cheeks turn red at the sight of him laughing at her. She took the ring off of her finger roughly and threw it at his chest. She stood up without notice and stormed out of the diner. "You've got to be kidding me" Stefan groaned as he collected his things and chased after her. Once he got outside, he looked around for her. "Elena!" he called, spotting her waiting for the bus.

"Leave me alone" she said, pulling the hood of her jacket up over her head. When Stefan did not leave, she shoved past him and began walking. She didn't need to be made fun of. He thought he was running the whole show here and she was not going to be his puppet.

"Elena, come on. I'm sorry" he said, walking after her. "I just found it funny is all" he explained.

Elena whipped around and Stefan almost walked in to her. "You find it funny that someone might actually not want to sleep with you?" she asked him. "Because I don't. And I won't in the future either. If I have to follow your conditions, then you have to follow mine. Or no deal" she said, taking a quick breath. "So what's it going to be?" she asked.

Stefan really wanted to bang his head into a wall right about now. This girl was impossible. He was starting to second-guess his decision and thought about how much easier it might be to get a hooker to marry him. But he sighed as he lifted his hands up to surrender. "Fine" he told her. "Whatever you want."

Elena nodded. "Good" she said, crossing her arms. "So you won't make any sexual advances towards me?" she clarified. He nodded regretfully. "One last thing" she said, giving him a serious look. He looked at her expectantly. "You have to promise that you will not fall in love with me over these next six months" she told him.

Stefan fought the urge to burst out laughing. Fall in love? With her? She was crazy for sure. Instead, he suppressed his laughter and smiled. "I can definitely promise you that" he told her. "So, does this mean we have a deal?" he asked her.

Elena pushed out the screaming voice inside of her head telling her to run. "As long as my conditions are met, we have a deal" Elena agreed.

Stefan smiled, reached in his pocket, and pulled the ring out again. Elena took it from him and placed it on her finger. "Excellent" he told her. "I'll get these documents drawn up with your added conditions and you can sign them tomorrow." Elena nodded. "Alrighty, you had best get home and start packing. You're moving in tomorrow" he added.

"What?" she asked in disbelief. "You're giving me less than a day to pack my things?" she asked him.

"Yep" he replied. He pulled out a card from his wallet and handed it to her. "Here is the number for the moving company. You give them a call when you're ready to be picked up" he said. "You know where I live, right? That big, expensive, gorgeous house on the edge of town?"

"Yeah, I've seen it Stefan" she said, clearly annoyed with him again. How was she supposed to spend six months with him when she could barely stand to spend six seconds with him?

"Then I'll see you tomorrow" he said in a chipper tone before turning away and leaving her standing in the middle of the sidewalk, wondering what in the world she had just done.

Elena looked at the card in her hand momentarily and then crumpled it up. "Stupid arrogant jerk" she muttered as she continued on her way back to her apartment.

Along the way, she made sure to take the road before the one her apartment was on. She often did this, finding herself standing in front of an older house with a for sale sign in the yard. "One million dollars" she said quietly, continuing to look at the house.

Elena stood there for about fifteen minutes before she remembered that she had packing to do. Reluctantly, she began walking again, heading towards the next street over where her apartment was. The Boarding house would be a big change from her small one bedroom apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I am so SO sorry for the late update! I got behind since I was traveling. I did get to meet the lovely Nina Dobrev over the weekend finally! So, that is why my update never came. I do hope you forgive me!**

**Please let me know what you think about this update. The next update will involve their "bonding" and Stefan's family. **

**As always, please read and review! **

Elena hopped out of the moving van, having had to listen to the wannabe rock star in the driver's seat go on and on about how his band was going to be famous next year. He had popped his band's CD in and blasted it the entire drive from Elena's apartment to Stefan's place. She was going to need peace and quiet for a week straight to recover.

The rock star mover guy was still rocking out in the truck when Elena slammed the door shut. "Well well" she heard Stefan say. She turned around and saw Stefan walking her way. "My lovely fiancé finally made it" he added. "Welcome home, Baby."

"One, don't you ever call me Baby again" she warned. "Two, the mover you hired? Try sitting in a moving vehicle with him for twenty minutes while he blasts straight up screaming, to which, he screams along" Elena said through gritted teeth.

Stefan smirked. "They are a very reputable moving company in Mystic Falls" he shrugged. Stefan stepped around her and went to the back of the truck, pushing the door open. He looked at the lack of stuff piled in the back. "Where's the rest of your stuff?" he asked when she came around to join him.

Elena raised her eyebrow. "That is all of my stuff" she told him. Stefan studied her for a moment, deciding not to say anything. She looked pissed, as usual. "Are you going to help me get this stuff out or are you going to stand there and stare at me all morning?" she asked, crossing her arms, her eyes narrowing.

Stefan smiled at her as he continued to stare. He was starting to find her hate for him kind of … sexy. A truck door shutting caught him off guard and he quickly turned to greet the guy coming to help them. "Where should I put the stuff?" he asked Stefan.

Stefan smiled at the thought of where she would be staying. The room next to his. "Well my friend, you can bring her things upstairs, third door on the right" Stefan said. Elena blew a piece of hair off of her face, tightened her grip on her purse, and stormed off toward the house. Stefan grinned as he watched her walk away. He turned back to the mover. "I hear you are a singer?" Stefan asked. The young guy nodded quicklu and smiled proudly. "I'll give you an extra hundred bucks if you sing the whole time you are moving her things up to her room. We could use a little entertainment around here today" Stefan smiled.

"Sure thing man!" the young man sang, grabbing a box out of the back and beginning his screaming singing as he followed Elena.

Stefan turned around and grabbed another box. He stopped and smiled when he heard Elena scream his name out in frustration. With that, Stefan began walking towards his house, thinking up new things he could do to annoy her the rest of the day.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena breathed in and out slowly as she stretched her arms up and then out. She then adjusted her ponytail and fixed the gloves on her hands. She needed to relieve some stress after the morning she had had with Stefan and unpacking. Kickboxing and boxing were her release and she always felt better after punching and kicking the crap out of an 80 pound bag. She had the mover set up the bag in her large room. Elena had placed the mats beneath, just in case she ever lost her balance and fell.

Elena walked over to the large black bag and stretched her neck before throwing her arm towards it, giving it a powerful punch. The heavy bag moved a little and Elena pulled her hand back slightly, feeling a dulling pain in her wrist. She wished that she had more strength in her arms. Taking a step back, she swung her leg out, making contact with the bag. She smiled as the bag began swinging. She kicked with the other foot, alternating back and forth. She would throw in a few punches every now and then.

After twenty minutes, she was sure she had worn herself out. She steadied the bag and grabbed for her water bottle, taking a drink. "You know" Stefan said from behind her, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. She turned around to see Stefan leaning against her doorway, his arms crossed, and his eyes following wherever her athletic clothes clung tightly to her body. "You'd be able to throw one hell of a punch if you knew how to do it right" he said.

Elena tossed her water bottle on her bed. "I can throw a good punch when I need to" she said, readjusting her gloves.

Stefan walked into the room, continuing to let his eyes travel across her body. Elena repositioned herself in front of her bag, took a deep breath and then punched it. She heard Stefan chuckle from behind her. And then he did the unthinkable, reaching from behind her to grab her left hand. Elena turned around quickly, throwing her right hand at his face. Stefan caught it though in time, having envisioned her trying to strike out at him. Stefan held her close, her eyes wide with shock that he had her in a position where she could not escape. "That wasn't very nice" he said, smiling.

"Let go of me" she said through gritted teeth, though he swore he heard desperation. But her eyes were fierce.

Stefan let go of her and took a small step back, raising his arms to show he was backing off. She watched him carefully, eyeing the door every so often. Stefan stepped around her and pushed the bag, testing it. He turned around again and looked at her. "Let me see your hand" he said, holding his own out towards her. Elena hesitated and Stefan rolled his eyes. "I want to show you something" he assured her. Elena reluctantly stepped closer to him and gave him her hand. Stefan held her hand for a moment, reveling in the fact that his mere touch had her going crazy inside. It was all over her face, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. "The number one rule when throwing a punch?" he said, balling her hand into a fist. "Is to not tuck your thumb in. You'll break it" he said.

Elena watched closely as he caressed her thumb for a moment. And then before she even realized it, he was moving behind her, still holding on to her hand. "Rule number two? When you go to punch, throw your weight into it. You need the extra momentum" he said into her ear. Elena swallowed hard as she nodded. Why did he have to be so close? "Okay" he said, stepping away from her. "Take a swing." Elena took a moment before moving into place. She focused on the bag as best as she could, trying to contain her beating heart. Taking one last breath, she pulled her arm back and made contact with the bag. The bag moved and her hand didn't hurt after the fact.

Elena smiled as she turned around. "Like that?" she asked, unable to contain herself.

Stefan shrugged. "Not bad" he said casually. Elena glared at him, but he noticed it was more playful. "So what made you get into all this?" he asked, waving at the bag.

Elena rolled her shoulders, feeling a bit stiff. "For self-defense" Elena answered.

Stefan laughed. "Because the bag is going to attack you?" he asked, finding her training method a bit flawed.

Elena had never been able to take actual self-defense classes unfortunately, so she figured a punching bag was the next best thing. "It's better than nothing" she replied.

Stefan shook his head. "No no no" he said, waving his hand. "That's not going to work."

Elena raised her eyebrow. "Why do you care?" she asked. She figured he had plenty of other things to think about besides her ability to defend herself.

"Because" Stefan said. "Every girl should know how to defend herself" he shrugged as if he hadn't put much thought into it. Elena looked at him quizzically. "What?" he asked.

"That was the last thing I expected to come out of your mouth" she said. "The guy who plays girls is worried about their safety. I'm floored" she said.

Stefan furrowed his brow. "Well, maybe that just goes to show that you don't know me as well as you think" he replied. He paused for a moment as he thought about something. "How about you and I spend the evening getting to know each other?" he suggested.

Elena shrugged. "Well, seeing as how I probably have to meet your family soon, I suppose I should learn a few things about you" she told him, taking a few steps closer to him. "But just so we are clear, I have no interest in spending time with you" she stated.

"Fair enough" Stefan grinned. He locked eyes with her for a moment before she broke contact. "Now, for your self-defense lessons" he said.

"What, are you an expert in this area too?" she said crtitically.

Stefan smiled. "Not particularly, no" he answered. "But, I am a guy, so I think that makes me better to practice with than an inanimate object" he told her. "Turn around" he told her.

"What? Why?" she demanded. She was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of not facing him.

Stefan rolled his eyes again. "Just turn around Elena" he told her. "I'm not going to try anything stupid" he promised her. She still didn't look convinced. "Scouts honor" he grinned. Elena groaned as she turned around. Within moments, she felt Stefan behind her. "Now, most of the time, you will probably be attacked from behind because it is easier to overpower you that way" he told her. Elena held her breath as she felt his arms go around her, holding her tight. "I've got your upper body immobilized, so now you can't use your arms, right?" he asked.

Elena slowly let herself breath out, but having him flush up against her, being able to feel his heart beat against her back, was distracting. "Right" she answered.

"Wrong" Stefan whispered against her ear. Elena closed her eyes. How could her body react this way to him? She hated him. "Turn your body to your right" he prompted her. Elena did so. "Now your elbow is free. You can move it forward and then thrust it back into my stomach" he instructed. Elena nodded. He turned her around and grabbed on to her upper arms. He stared into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He realized that he couldn't figure her out, and that scared him a bit. "You know what to do here I assume?" he asked her. Elena nodded as she began to draw her knee up, aiming to kick him between his legs, when he flinched. "Don't even think about it" he warned her.

Elena smirked and watched how nervous he looked. She slowly put her foot back down and he let go of her arms. "Thanks for the tips" she said, walking around him. She went to her dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans and a shirt for her shower. Stefan watched her saunter off into the bathroom. He decided the girl was insane. But all he could focus on in that moment was how much he wanted to be in that shower with her.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Wow! Some of you are already starting to create theories about my story. I love it! Why does Elena want the money so badly? That's a good question that shall be revealed in good time.**

**Since I made you all wait so long for an update last time, I figured I would make this one a little longer. I hope you enjoy! As always, please read and review. I would love to know what you think about Stefan and Elena's … attraction? Is that the right word? **

Elena ran her fingers through her hair, trying to decide if she had washed all of the conditioner out of her hair or not. She then held on to the ends of her hair and wondered if she should get it cut. Maybe some highlights? What was the wife of a rich Salvatore supposed to look like?

Truthfully, she didn't care about her hair right now. What she cared about was taking a much needed nap before she faced reality. The reality that she was now living with Stefan and that she would be marrying him soon. She glanced at the immaculate ring on her left finger, watching as it glistened with the droplets of shower water. Suddenly, she was her worst nightmare. The girl who married for money and was miserable because of it. She had no idea how he would treat her in the next six months. She had no idea how she would treat him, either. Elena sincerely hoped that they would leave each other alone for the most part. But a part of her was scared that she would be alone too much. She had no one here in Mystic Falls. Living out in the middle of nowhere now made her feel even more secluded. Sighing, Elena cut the water off and grabbed for her towel, drying herself off and then wrapping the towel around body.

She walked out of her bathroom and toward her dresser in search of something comfortable to wear. She had no idea what Stefan had in store for her later that evening in what he called "bonding". Elena pulled out a pair of jeans and one of her favorite t-shirts supporting a local children's foundation. Comfortable, yet casual. "How was your shower?" she heard Stefan say, causing her to jump as she turned around to shoot daggers at him. He was smirking. "Wish I had been in there with you?"

"Boundaries Stefan, boundaries!" she screamed at him. Stefan remained where he was in her doorway, his smile widening. "Seriously, get out!" she yelled, disappointment running through her mind when she realized there was nothing to throw at him that would cause him pain.

Stefan chuckled some as he took a step into her room. Elena raised a weary eyebrow at him. Why wasn't he leaving? "See" he said, beginning to slowly walk towards her again. Elena clutched the towel around her tighter. "I would leave … if I actually believed that you wanted me to" he told her. Elena froze as he stopped in front of her. Stefan cocked his head to the side and studied her. Was she nervous? No, she was in denial. Stefan's hands grabbed on to her towel and he yanked on it, pulling her close to him. His lips moved toward her neck and he paused by her ear, whispering softly, "Just admit it. You want me."

Elena shook her head no, but she knew it was a weak attempt. Her heart was going to beat right out of her chest due to his close proximity. And when his hand wrapped around her back, and his lips lightly pressed against her own, she was sure she would die right then and there. Her skin was on fire and she was positive that the only reason she had not burst into flames was because of the towel still wrapped around her, keeping her rational. His lips pressed harder onto hers and she in turn held on to his shoulders, fearing she just might collapse if she didn't. Stefan smiled against her lips, knowing she was as good as gone by this point. She wanted more – needed more. He could give her more, if she let him. He trailed kisses back to her ear, feeling her face bury itself in his shoulder as she tried to hide how ragged her breathing had become. "Elena" he whispered into her ear. Elena froze, his nose still pressed against her ear. "If you want more, all you have to do is say so."

Elena, finding it possible to speak, simply nodded her head yes against him. Stefan's hands came back around to the front of her towel and he fingered the material. Elena slowly pulled her head away from him to look down and watch him slowly unwrap the towel that was around her. He was going ever so slowly, beginning to drive her crazy. "Stefan" she said, exasperation filling her voice. She began taking the towel off herself when his hands grabbed on to hers, stopping her. She looked up into his eyes immediately, questioning his action.

He simply smiled at her. "Wake up" he told her. She gave him a confused look, not sure what he was talking about. "Wake up" he repeated, a little louder.

Elena shot up into a sitting position on her bed, gasping for breath. Her eyes filled with horror when she was sitting almost face to face with Stefan on her bed. He looked at her curiously, a sly smirk on his face. "That must have been some dream" he said, laughing slightly.

Elena glared at him, wrapping her blanket around her, and glancing at the clock. It was already 6 PM. She must have fallen asleep after her shower. Elena placed her hand on her head, trying to steady her breathing. "It was a nightmare" she bit out at him.

Stefan shook his head and smiled as he stood. "Meet me downstairs in ten minutes, and bring a jacket" he told her, beginning to walk towards her door. Elena sighed, feeling no need to get up out of bed. Stefan paused in the doorway and turned back to her. "Oh, and that nightmare you were just having?" he asked. Elena shot a warning glance at him. "If you ever want to do that with me for real, all you have to do is ask" he winked. He ducked as a remote came flying at his head. "See you downstairs!" he called out.

Elena groaned and fell back into bed. What the hell was wrong with her? How could she be so sexually attracted to a jerk like him? She reasoned that it had been a long time for her, and her body was craving physical affection. But it wasn't getting any, at least not from Stefan. She sat back up and tossed the covers off of her. She looked around her room and sighed. It was so empty and kind of depressing. Maybe she could decorate some time. She got up and grabbed her jacket before heading downstairs.

Stefan met her at the bottom of the stairs, already dressed in his jacket. "Ready?" he asked.

Elena crossed her arms. "For what?" she questioned.

"Bonding" Stefan answered, grabbing her hand. Elena yanked it away from him. "Someone's grouchy" he said, backing away from her. "Come along then" he said, leading the way out of his house.

Elena followed him outside into the dark. It was a bit colder than the nights before she noticed. "Where are we going?" she asked, following a few steps behind him.

"You'll see" he tossed over his shoulder as he continued walking. They ended up on a hard dirt path leading into the woods. Elena stopped immediately. Stefan stopped as well, turning around to face her. "More neurotic thoughts of me killing you?" he asked.

Elena hugged her arms around herself tighter. "I just want to know where we are going" she replied, seeing her breath in front of her.

Stefan smiled. "To meet two of my oldest friends" he said, motioning with a head nod for them to continue. Elena waited a few more moments before following after him. This was beyond stupid of her and she knew it. Yet there was something about him that intrigued her.

When they made it out of the wooded area, Elena stopped at the sight before her. A large, well-lit barn stood in the middle of a wide open area. "You have a barn?" she asked in amazement.

Stefan opened a gate and motioned for her to follow. He gave a sharp whistle and within moments, Elena could hear the hard ground underneath her rumble. Two large quarter horses came running out of their stalls towards them. Elena took a cautionary step behind Stefan as he greeted the two horses before him, sticking their noses in his pocket in search of treats. "Elena, I would like you to meet Cash and Ben" he said, running his hand over their faces. The white one, Cash, stuck his head around Stefan to sniff Elena, who remained hidden. Stefan rolled his eyes. "They won't bite" he told her.

Elena took a few slow, small steps until she was standing beside Stefan again. She looked at the two horses in awe. They were beautiful. "I've never been around horses" she explained.

"Nah, really?" he asked her sarcastically. Elena frowned up at him and he seemed to laugh it off. "Well these guys wouldn't hurt a fly. They're perfect for people who have no idea what they are doing" he said, walking towards the barn.

Elena remained frozen in place with the two horses as he began to leave. There were two pairs of brown eyes staring straight at her. Taking a deep breath, Elena squeezed past the two horses and began walking after Stefan. Her heart began to pound a little faster when she heard the horses behind her following. Elena picked up her pace, nearly running. She turned around in horror to see the two horses picking up their own pace right behind her.

Elena didn't stop until she collided with a hard surface. She looked up to see Stefan looking less than amused. "Watch where you are going" he said, leaving her once again. The horses continued to stare at her. "Hi" she said, standing there awkwardly. She stuck her hand out, then pulled it back suddenly when the horse went to sniff her.

She turned around and slowly walked into the barn, looking for Stefan. The horses followed her. "Stefan?" she asked.

"In here" she heard, coming from the tack room. Stefan walked out with two saddles and other equipment that she did not recognize. "Feel like going for a ride?" he asked, though not really caring whether she wanted to or not. Stefan whistled again and his two horses came walking up. Elena watched as Stefan got the horses situated, tying ropes on either side of them. "Cross ties" he said, watching Elena study what he was doing. "Grab a brush" he instructed.

Elena hesitated. "I think I'll just watch" she said nervously.

Stefan grabbed her arm and began dragging her toward Cash. He put the brush in her hand and held on to it as he demonstrated what to do. "He won't bite, I promise" Stefan told her, taking her other hand and placing it on the horse's nose. Elena nervously smiled as she began petting the horse. "He's really soft" Elena said, more to herself than to Stefan.

"You're such a girl" he laughed, brushing out his own horse. Elena let that comment go. She liked soft things.

Stefan had both horses saddled and ready to go before she knew it. "We're just going on a trail ride, so Cash will just follow alongside Ben" he said, pulling her reigns back for her. "But just in case, lay the reigns across the right side of his neck to go left and vice versa to go right. Pull back to stop" he instructed. Elena nodded. "Alright, give me your leg" he said, grabbing it before she was even ready and lifting her up. Elena swung her leg over the saddle and sat there stiffly, afraid she would fall. "Feet in the stirrups, hands on the reigns" he told her. Elena nodded.

Stefan got up on his own horse and kicked him forward with Elena's horse following. They were silent for almost five minutes as they walked down the tail. "So how long have you had these guys?" Elena asked finally.

Stefan looked up at the moon. "Fifteen years" he answered. "When I was ten, I found them as babies, just a few days old, dehydrated and by themselves. Someone had left them at an old abandoned farm Damon and I use to play at" he explained. "I begged to keep them and ended up training them myself" he said proudly.

"Damon?" Elena asked.

Stefan looked over at her briefly. "My brother. You will have the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him soon" he added.

Elena decided it would be best to not get into sibling drama just yet. "You're the last person I would have thought could rescue baby horses and train them" she said, patting the horse she was on.

Stefan grinned. "Careful now. Wouldn't want you to change your mind about me" he said, pushing his horse closer to hers so his leg bumped into hers playfully.

"Yeah, wouldn't want that" Elena agreed, looking straight ahead instead of where his leg was touching hers.

"So" Stefan said casually. "You know I have a brother. Tell me about your family." They had to know this stuff.

Elena ignored the prickling tears in the back of her eyes, telling herself it was just the icy wind nipping at her. "I have a younger brother, Jeremy. He lives in California now" she answered.

There was more silence, save for the saddles creaking as the horses walked. "What about your parents?" Stefan asked.

Elena swallowed back the lump in her throat. "They died a few years ago" she said, leaving it at that. She did not feel the need to go into detail.

"Mine died when I was really young" Stefan said, the lack of emotion in his voice not going unnoticed by Elena. "My uncle raised me and my older brother Damon" he added.

Elena took note of the silence once again and decided to move the bonding along. "So, besides chasing girls around and sleeping with them, what else do you do for fun?" she asked him.

"Ouch" he laughed. "I do have a job" he admitted. Elena looked at him with shock. "Shocking, I know. I handle the social media aspects of my uncle's publishing company. It allows me to work from home" he explained.

"I'm impressed" Elena admitted.

"Well I'm an impressive guy" Stefan stated. Elena rolled her eyes. "So tell me, do you plan on being a waitress forever?" he asked.

"You act like it is the worst thing ever" Elena told him, feeling slightly agitated with him. "I make an honest living. I don't sit at home and play on Facebook all day."

"No need to get defensive" he told her. "That was just my indirect way of asking what you are going to do with the million dollars I'm giving you" he shrugged.

"That's hardly any of your business" Elena said sternly. Her reasons were personal. She felt irritated with him suddenly and wanted to go back. They had talked about things she had never wanted to talk about tonight. "I'm tired. I want to go back" she said, pulling back on the reigns.

Stefan felt the need to get defensive too. "Have you always been such a bitch?" he asked her, suddenly getting irritated with her.

"Yeah, I have" she retorted, swinging her leg out of the saddle and getting off of the horse. Stefan looked at her in disbelief. "I'm walking back" she said angrily, throwing the reigns at him and storming off.

"Mature!" he called after her. The last thing he saw was her sticking her middle finger up at him as she disappeared.

Stefan turned the horses around and hurried back towards the barn. He grumbled the whole way, trying to remind himself of why he had chosen her to pull his brilliant plan off with.

When Stefan finally made it back to the house, he dragged himself up the stairs. He stopped off at her room, opening the door slightly to see if she was still awake. The light was off and she was silent. He figured she had gone to sleep, or she was doing a really good job at pretending she to be asleep. Stefan crept into her room silently and placed two documents on the desk for her to look at in the morning. The same documents they had gone over at The Grill, but with minor corrections.

Stefan looked over at her one last time before leaving her room. He shut the door silently, resisting the urge to slam it and disturb her. He was too tired to be a jerk.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan hated parties, even ones thrown in his honor. And he was scared as hell because Elena had not spoken to him in four days ever since their little fight. He was too frustrated to deal with her childishness at this point. He had tried to apologize, only for her to ignore him. He tried to buy her things and she just threw them away. He didn't know what to do, so he was now waiting anxiously downstairs for her.

It was their engagement party they were on their way to. After Stefan had broken the news to his uncle, Zach had insisted a proper engagement party be thrown so everyone could meet the newest member of the family. Stefan had listened for a hint of suspicion in Zach's words, but he did not detect any. Stefan figured that Damon would have plenty to say about this sudden engagement though.

Stefan was starting to sweat it a little. He had left Elena a note detailing the event, including what time she should be ready by. She was already five minutes late. He continued to glance at his watch, feeling 12 million dollars slipping away from him second by agonizingly slow, second.

"Afraid I'd bail?" she asked from the top of the stairs. Stefan turned to look up at her immediately. He had to force his jaw to stay shut as he watched her walk slowly down the stairs, her green dress moving with her as she stepped. Elena stopped at the last step and stared at him. He was staring at her and not saying anything. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

It took Stefan a second to comprehend what she had asked. But he finally shook his head no. "Definitely not" he replied, clearing his suddenly dry throat. "We uh, we should get going" he told her. Elena simply nodded as she walked passed him, grabbing her jacket off of the chair as she passed. Stefan remained where he was and continued to stare at her. Was this the plain, simple waitress he had brought home a few days ago? No. This was his soon to be hot wife who he would get to parade around in front of his brother, proving that he had better luck in women than Damon.

Elena turned back around after putting on her jacket. "Do you want to be late?" she asked with a snarky bite in her tone. Stefan forced his feet to move and followed her out of the house.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena's eyes almost bugged out of her head when she walked into the ballroom of a hotel that was decorated for her engagement party. Yes, her engagement party. If she had to put up with him, these parties would be known as hers. Her jacket was taken promptly as she looked around the room. Stefan came up behind her, his hand placed firmly on her back. "You ready for this?" he whispered in her ear. Elena took a small breath and nodded. Stefan had prepared her during the ride over on what behavior his family would be expecting from them both. Stefan smiled when he saw his brother and sister-in-law staring at them from across the room. "We have an audience" Stefan said, slowly turning her to face him. Stefan sincerely hoped that Elena was ready to play along.

Stefan cupped her face, leaned in, and kissed her passionately. It almost made Elena lose her balance, but he held her tight. Elena gripped his jacket, pulling him closer. The kiss seemed to last forever, until a throat clearing interrupted them.

Stefan pulled away from Elena, but not before placing one more soft kiss on her lips. He pulled Elena into his chest, holding her close as he addressed his brother. "Damon, you sure do know how to ruin a moment, don't you" Stefan smirked. Elena hoped her face had returned to normal after being caught off guard by Stefan's kiss. Truth be told, she was still feeling the effects of it, continuing to hold on to Stefan to keep her up right.

"Nice PDA, little brother" Damon said. He turned his attention to Elena and cocked his head to the side. "You must be my brother's bed warmer of the week. Congratulations" he said, an amused look on his face when her face hardened.

"I ask that you not talk to my fiancé like that" Stefan said, a challenging tone in his voice. "After all, I don't talk like that about yours" Stefan reminded.

"If I remember correctly, I was keeping you warm in bed first, among other things" came Katherine's voice from behind Stefan and Elena. Both turned to look at the young woman, dressed in a long black dress with long dark curls cascading down around her.

Elena felt uncomfortable suddenly. Stefan had been with this woman? She was gorgeous. Her hair was perfect and she dressed so elegantly. "Katherine. How lovely to see you again" Stefan grinned. "Please, I would like you to meet Elena. My fiancé" he introduced.

Katherine raised her eyebrow as she looked the other young woman over. "Wow, Stefan" she began. "You really are marrying below you, aren't you" she said, a smirk appearing on her face. "Where'd you find this one? The corner?" she asked.

Before Stefan could reply, Elena spoke up, finding this spoiled woman to be irritating. "Clearly, you were never taught any manners. Katherine, was it?" Elena asked. Katherine's smirk disappeared slowly as she realized this woman before her was challenging her. "So, when you have the decency to properly greet me, please feel free to approach me" Elena told her. Katherine was full on glaring at Elena now. "Stefan, shall we?" Elena asked. Stefan was smiling proudly by this point. Someone had finally stood up to Katherine Pierce-Salvatore. Stefan grabbed Elena's hand with his own and led the way to find his uncle.

Katherine was seething when she walked towards Damon. "Did you see the way she treated me?" Katherine asked. When Damon laughed, Katherine hit him in the shoulder. "She can't talk to me like that!" Katherine whined.

Damon shrugged. "Sorry, Babe. She's got spunk. I think you've finally met your match" he told her.

Katherine scowled. "Why I haven't divorced you yet?" she asked angrily.

Damon grabbed a drink from a tray and smiled. "Because you love my money" he said, toasting to her and taking a long sip. Katherine huffed as she spun on her heel and left. Damon took another sip of his drink and turned back to look at Stefan and Elena on the other side of the room. He already knew his brother was faking this marriage proposal. Now all Damon had to do was prove it. Elena was going to help him do that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you all for the reviews for the last chapter. I like all the questions you have and all will be revealed. Eventually! Yeah, what is with all the secrets? You can't build a marriage upon lies, can you? **

**Please read and review once again. It really helps me stay motivated : )**

Stefan spotted Zach and led the way toward him, pulling Elena along. After all, it was Zach who was in charge of dispersing the money and therefore, the one who had to be convinced of this marriage.

Elena did her best to keep up with Stefan as he hurried across the room. "So, are you going to tell me the dreaded ex story now or later?" Elena asked, clearly annoyed that he had not mentioned anything about Katherine. She had been blindsided.

Stefan smiled. "Later" he said, pulling her past one more table before stopping. A man turned around to face them. Elena drew in a small breath, ready for the next round of defending herself. The man before them smiled warmly at her, greatly confusing her. "Uncle Zach, this is Elena" Stefan introduced.

Zach held out his hand to which Elena quickly held out hers, welcoming his polite gesture. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you" he told her. "I hope this establishment is to your liking" he added, waving his hand out to show off the rather large room.

"It's perfect" Elena told him, taking her hand back. "But there really was no need to go to all of this trouble" she quickly added. "And it is very nice to meet you as well. Stefan has told me so much about you." That was a lie, but she was going with it.

Zach's eyes seemed to brighten. "Only good things I hope?" he asked with a laugh. Elena smiled and nodded. She kind of liked him already. He was different from the others. Zach turned his attention back to Stefan. "Would it be alright if I had a word with your fiancé, alone?" he asked. Stefan looked at Elena briefly before nodding. Stefan was putting all his faith in her now and he prayed that she would not screw it up. "Elena, dear, would that be all right with you?" Zach asked, looking between the couple.

Elena swallowed nervously. He knew. "Of course" she agreed. She gave Stefan one last look before following Zach across the room and out onto the terrace. Stefan let out the breath he had been holding.

It was much quieter outside and Elena was not sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. "So, how long have you known Stefan?" Zach inquired, leaning against a table. "I was surprised by Stefan's news of your engagement. He's never mentioned you before" Zach said, trying to be polite, yet interrogating. It was his job to look out for his family.

"Honestly?" Elena asked, knowing this was coming. "Not long. But we've spent a lot of time together and I really care about him" she said, trying to be convincing. She hated the guy and never spent more time with him than she had to.

"I assume you are aware of Stefan's finances?" Zach continued to inquire. "And the significant amount of money Stefan stands to gain following this marriage?" he asked.

Elena looked down at her feet for a moment, preparing herself to answer. She decided she would answer his questions as if she were herself, the real Elena, and not the Elena who had stooped so low that she would marry for money. "I am aware of Stefan's money" Elena said honestly. "But I'm not Katherine. I couldn't marry for money if it meant having to be with someone I did not love the rest of my life" she explained. She watched Zach stare at her for a moment as if he was trying to detect if she was lying or not. So she continued. "I love Stefan. And I'm not sure what is in store for our future, but I know that I want to figure it out with him." Elena kept the serious look on her face, unsure of how he would react to that.

After a moment, Zach nodded. "You do know what a pain in the ass he is?" he asked, a quirky smile forming.

Elena cracked a smile. "I know. I have to take him as he is though" she told him.

Zach laughed at that. He walked towards her, extending his hand. "Welcome to the family, Elena" he said.

Elena smiled again. "Thank you. It is an honor to be a part of your family." With that, Zach left her to return to the party. She breathed a sigh of relief. That was easier than she thought. Unless that was not the end of the interrogation. But she brushed the thought off. Elena walked back and stood in the doorway, watching the guests. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Maybe this family, and these friends, wouldn't be so bad after all.

"You're in my way" a voice came from outside, behind Elena. Elena turned around to see a small girl, no older than six, standing there with her arms crossed. Elena smiled, though she was slightly taken aback by the small child's rudeness. "Don't smile at me. Move!" she demanded, tossing her hands up in frustration. Elena's smile quickly disappeared.

"Elena" Stefan said, grabbing her attention. Elena turned to him, still a little baffled by the girl behind her.

"Uncle Stefan, thank God. She won't get out of my way. I think she's stupid or something" the little girl said, quite frustrated.

Stefan looked behind Elena and then smirked as the realization hit Elena. Damon and Katherine's daughter. "Come here Lil" he said, motioning for the little girl to walk to him. She walked past Elena, glaring at her the whole time until she was in Stefan's arms. "I want you to meet Elena. I'm going to marry her" he smiled. "Elena, this is Lily. My niece" he introduced.

Lily raised her small eyebrow. "You're marrying her Uncle Stefan?" she questioned. "Her shoes don't match her dress" she insisted.

Elena quickly looked down at her feet, suddenly feeling self-conscious. They were black heels. Didn't black heels go with everything?

Stefan laughed. "Her shoes are fine" Stefan assured the little girl. "You have to be nice to this one. I'm going to keep her around for a while" he said.

Lily sighed. "Fine" she grumbled. Stefan kissed the top of her head before setting her back on her own feet. She looked up at Elena, her brown eyes locking with Elena's. "It was nice meeting you" she said reluctantly before running off, her long brown curls bouncing along with her.

Stefan laughed when the girl was out of earshot. "She's just like her mother" he mentioned, watching Lily wander around, charming all the guests.

"That's unfortunate. She's still so young" Elena said. "She seems to adore you though" she mentioned.

Stefan smiled proudly. "Can you blame her? I'm pretty awesome" he replied smugly. Elena rolled her eyes. "Don't be jealous. I have plenty of love to go around" he added, stepping closer to her. He placed his hands on her hips and leaned in.

"What are you doing?" Elena asked just before his lips came crashing down on hers. His kiss was a little more aggressive this time and Elena knew he was going to leave her breathless. So Elena moved her hands beneath his jacket and held on to his sides, attempting to look more natural.

"Okay you two, enough with the charade. You don't have to fool me" a voice came. Stefan immediately stopped kissing Elena and looked up to find his friend Alaric walking their way. "Just so you know, most happy couples don't have make-out sessions at family functions" he added.

Stefan grinned. "Sure they do" Stefan disagreed, hugging Elena tightly against him. Elena shoved him off of her, looking around to make sure no one saw. "She normally can't keep her hands off of me" Stefan added with a shrug.

"Shut up" Elena warned. "If you want to talk, start with that psycho ex of yours" Elena said, crossing her arms.

"You've met Katherine" Alaric noted. "Pleasant gal, huh?" he asked.

Elena glared at him. She remembered him from the Grill, but that did not mean she was going to be his friend. Not if he was Stefan's friend. "She's terrible!" Elena exclaimed.

"You don't have to convince me" Alaric said, taking a sip of his drink. His focus shifted as his eyes fell on her once again. "Elena, has anyone told you that you look absolutely beautiful tonight?" he asked.

Elena opened her mouth to reply with something witty, until she realized that his compliment seemed sincere. "No" she answered, shooting an offended look towards Stefan.

"What?" Stefan asked. "I figured if I said anything, you would have assumed that it was just a ploy for me to get you out of your dress" he shrugged. "And Dude, stop hitting on my fiancé. Have you been hanging out with Damon?" Stefan said, attempting to laugh it off.

But Elena picked up on something. Something in Stefan's eyes changed and even though he was laughing, she could tell the idea of his brother chasing after the girl Stefan was with upset him. "You could tell me I look beautiful" Elena said, disrupting the laughing going on between the two men.

"Seriously?" Stefan asked. She was asking for him to compliment her?

"Complimenting is part of what happy couples do" Elena said, narrowing her eyes at him. "If you get to make-out with me as part of this charade, then you can compliment me too."

"Yeah Stefan" Alaric said, moving next to Elena and crossing his own arms. "You never compliment anyone but yourself. Tell the lady she looks beautiful." Both waited patiently.

Stefan looked between the two and finally grumbled. "Fine. You look nice tonight, Elena" he said.

Elena smiled triumphantly. But Alaric was not satisfied. "Nice?" he asked. "She looks freaking gorgeous. Try again" he said.

Stefan looked as if he could knock Alaric to the ground. But Stefan sighed. "Elena, you look stunning tonight. I am the luckiest guy in this room" he breathed out. Maybe he meant it a little.

Elena held her serious stare for a moment before laughing. "That was so fake, but it was so worth it to see you struggle so much" she said, continuing to laugh. "Thanks Alaric" she told him.

"You're welcome" he told her. "I know hanging out with this guy will get old real fast, so if you ever want some real fun, you come find me" he winked.

Elena simply smiled, patting him on his shoulder. "I'm going to find something to eat" she told them.

Stefan and Alaric watched her carefully navigate the room until they lost sight of her. "You lucked out" Alaric said, moving next to Stefan.

"I'm going to assume you're being sarcastic" Stefan replied.

"No, I'm serious. She's gorgeous and she has a mind of her own. She doesn't follow you around like a puppy and bend to your every will just to please you. I love it" Alaric smiled.

"Trust me, once she spends an hour in bed with me, she will do whatever it is that I say" Stefan said, confident that he had that power over women.

"Good luck with that Buddy" Alaric grinned, tipping his glass at Stefan and wandering off. Stefan leaned against the door and watched the party before him.

"So when's the big day?" a female voice came, taking Stefan out of his thoughts.

Stefan smiled and pulled the women into a friendly hug. "How soon can you make a wedding happen?" Stefan asked her, letting her go.

Caroline smiled. "Minimum, two weeks" she answered. She grabbed Stefan's hands and held them in her own. "Are you truly happy this time?" she asked. Stefan rolled his eyes. "Hey!" she said, grabbing his chin in one hand. "Don't roll your eyes at me" she warned. "I'm serious. I don't want another Katherine fiasco" she said sadly.

Stefan grabbed her shoulders reassuringly. "She's not Katherine. She's the opposite and I love her" he said, trying to sound convincing. It worked.

Caroline's face lit up. "It's about time!" she shrieked, throwing her arms around him. "I am so happy for you Stefan. Are you going to introduce me? Do you think she's going to like me? Do you think she already has a maid of honor? Oh my gosh, I saw this little dress boutique the other day while I was in Richmond and it had the most beautiful dress!" she rambled off.

"I can't even remember all that you asked me" Stefan said, shaking his head. "Have you seen my niece?" he asked.

Caroline pouted. "You seriously need to work on your listening skills" she told him. "As for your niece. She was threatening that little Johnson boy last I saw her. Something about wanting him to do whatever she said" Caroline shrugged.

"That sounds familiar" Stefan grinned. Caroline returned his grin. "Good seeing you Care. I'm going to go and find Lily" he said, kissing her cheek before leaving to find the little girl.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena grabbed a few strawberries and placed them on her plate. She nearly jumped when she felt a hand rest on her lower back and someone stop next to her. "Great party, huh?" Damon asked, taking a strawberry off of her plate and eating it.

Elena moved her body away from his. "Yes, your family went to way too much trouble" Elena said, setting her plate down.

"Please" Damon insisted. "We only wanted the best for our newest member of our family" he said, giving her a devilish smile that made her cringe inside. He was up to something. She could feel it.

"That means a lot to me" she told him. "If you'll excuse me, I am going to look for Stefan" she said, turning to leave.

Damon grabbed her arm and stopped her. "I'm sure Stefan is plenty occupied" Damon said. Elena's eyes locked on his hand that was on her arm. "Besides, I would like to get to know my new sister-in-law" he added. He let go of Elena's arm. "So tell me, how did you and Stefan meet?" he questioned.

"What do you want, Damon?" Elena asked. "Because it sure as hell sounds like you are fishing for information for personal gain" she told him. He was treading on dangerous water and she was going to make sure he knew it.

Damon raised his hands and smiled. "No need to get defensive" he told her. "Unless you and Stefan have something to hide, of course" he added.

Elena's face hardened. She refused to be pulled into his game. She looked past him to see Katherine putting her hands all over some guy across the room. Elena then admired the ring on her hand, remembering the deal she had made with Stefan. Even if hated him, and even if money had never been involved, she had still made a deal with him. And the fact that Damon was failing at trying to take down his brother amused her. If it was possible, Damon was a bigger jerk than Stefan. It almost made her feel sorry for Stefan. Almost. "I have no interest in talking to you, Damon" Elena said. "Neither does your wife apparently" Elena added, shifting her eyes back to Katherine. Damon followed her gaze and his heart sunk. Really? She was doing this in public places now?

Damon turned back around with an angry expression on his face. "You don't know anything about my relationship" he warned.

Elena nodded. "And you don't know anything about mine" she countered. She turned to leave once again, only for Damon to grab onto her arm.

"I know you two are faking this whole marriage. And the truth will come out" he whispered harshly.

Elena tried to yank her arm away from him, but he held on to her tight. His eyes bore into hers for a moment before a figure appeared before them. "Back off Damon" Caroline said, grabbing his arm and removing it from Elena. "Go find your own wife" she glared.

Damon glared back for a moment before deciding it would be better to back off. "This isn't over" he said, pointing at Elena who was rubbing her arm. He backed up and walked towards Katherine.

Caroline turned to face Elena. "Are you okay?" she asked, examining Elena's arm. Elena nodded. "My advice to you? Stay away from him. He's bad news." Elena nodded again. "Oh! I am being incredibly rude. My name is Caroline. I'm Stefan's friend" she said cheerfully and then pulled Elena into a hug. Elena awkwardly hugged her back, trying to decide if this girl was worth being friendly to or not.

"It's nice to meet you too. I'm Elena" she said after pulling away from the blonde girl. "So you are a friend of Stefan's?" Elena asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah!" she exclaimed. "I've known Stefan since Kindergarten. He's my best friend. But don't worry, we never slept together or anything like that" she explained. "Well, we did get drunk one time and made out for like an hour, but his uncle caught us and that was the end of that" she added.

Elena smiled. This girl was so energetic and just the right amount of happy. And she was secretly happy that Stefan had never gone that far with her. "So Alaric is not his best friend?" Elena asked.

Caroline scoffed. "Please. He wishes!" she replied. "I know everything about Stefan."

"Really?" Elena asked. Caroline nodded. "So, you know what happened between him and Katherine?" she asked. Elena did not know why she so desperately wanted to know the details, but she did.

The happy, energetic appearance that Caroline had suddenly faded and she went limp. "I … I can't talk about that" she said apologetically. "It should really come from Stefan."

"What should come from Stefan?" he asked from behind Caroline. Caroline shook her head, signaling that it was nothing important. "I see you've met Caroline" he said.

"Yeah, she has. And she loves me" Caroline smiled. Elena smiled as well. "I like this one, Stefan. Don't screw it up" she warned, patting the side of his cheek and walking off.

"Sorry about her, she's …" he began, searching for the right word.

"She's great" Elena finished for him. They stood there together in awkward silence for a few minutes, looking around the room and anywhere that was not at each other.

"So …" Stefan said, checking his watch. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked. "We've been here an hour, made our appearance" he mentioned.

Elena's lips twisted into a knowing smirk. "You're afraid I'm going to crack. That I'm going to screw this up" she accused.

Stefan shook his head no. "If you haven't cracked by now, you won't" he told her. Elena felt a sense of relief to hear that from him. "I just really hate parties" he admitted.

Elena tilted her head to the side. "Maybe you've just never had a date who made it fun" she said, a small smile forming. Was she flirting with him? No, no of course not.

"Are you flirting with me?" he asked, somewhat shocked.

"No" she said, waving him off. "Let's say goodbye to our guests and get out of here" she said, wrapping her arm around his and leading the way.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The ride home wasn't as dreaded as Elena had thought it would be. Stefan talked most of the time, telling her about all the places he had been to. As they were walking into the house, Elena discarded her coat. "I've always wanted to go to Ireland" she said thoughtfully.

"I've never been there" Stefan said, stopping to think. He peeled his jacket off and tossed it over a chair. He turned around to see Elena already climbing the stairs. He followed, stopping at her room. "Well, goodnight" he said, unsure of what else to say.

Before he could continue on to his room, he felt himself being pulled against her as she gripped his shirt, nearly ripping it. She kissed him hard, her hands beginning to work the buttons on his shirt. He regained his balance, greatly confused, but also not protesting. He knew she couldn't resist him for long.

Elena quickly rid him of his shirt, taking her lips off of his briefly to admire his bare chest. It was Stefan who took charge now, pulling her back in for another searing kiss and backing them up towards her bed. He was totally getting lucky tonight.

Elena felt herself falling back on the bed with him on top of her. His lips left hers, beginning to aggressively attack her neck, her shoulder, anywhere he could get to. His hands were on the back of her legs, working their way upwards. "Stefan" Elena gasped, feeling his teeth on her collarbone. He smiled against her skin, gently kissing where he had just bit.

She used all her weight to flip them over so she could be on top. He wouldn't complain. He found it kind of sexy that she was regaining control over the situation. His hands remained on the back of her thighs as her lips trailed down his chest. He closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her lips on his skin. She sat up, smiling as she moved her hair behind her ears and out of the way. She smiled with satisfaction at how responsive he was to her touch. He wanted her. And fast. "Elena" he groaned, frustrated with her for stopping. He sat up and attempted to flip them back over so he could get the show back on the road.

But Elena stopped him, pushing him back down. Suddenly the lust in her eyes was gone. "Tell me" she said, staring straight into his own eyes. "What happened with you and Katherine?" she asked.

Stefan took in a breath and ran his hands through his hair. "Are you kidding me right now?" he asked, almost angry at the situation. How dare she get him this excited and then try and bargain with him.

"Tell me what happened between you and Katherine" she negotiated. "And this" she said, motioning between herself and him. "Will happen" she finished.

Stefan closed his eyes and let his arms fall at his side. "Unbelievable" he muttered. He wanted her. Bad. But, he did not want to tell her what happened between him and Katherine. Elena smiled. He couldn't walk away from her. He was going to tell.

And then, she felt herself being pushed off of him as he got up off of the bed. She looked at him with pure shock. "What happened with Katherine and I" he told her, grabbing his shirt up off of the floor. "Is none of your business" he finished. "So, I'll be taking a cold shower instead" he added before walking out of her room.

Elena fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. What the hell had she just done?

**A/N: So, I decided to add a brand new character to my story. What do you think? This character will play an important part later. **

**What do you think about the Stefan/Caroline friendship? I was debating on whether or not to include her. But I decided Caroline should always be included : )**

**Thanks everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I apologize for this chapter being kind of boring. I needed a filler and this is what I came up with. **

**I have good news and bad news. The bad news is, I am going on vacation next week and will have no time to write. The good news is, when I get back, I am going to write the wedding.**

**This will not be your usual happy, beautiful wedding. No. This will be a wedding with a drunk Katherine, a scheming Damon, and Stefan trying all day to convince Elena why they should sleep together on their wedding night.**

**Have a good week everyone! I'll be back in a week with a new update! In the meantime, read and review this and let me know your thoughts about the upcoming wedding!**

Elena studied her reflection in the mirror. She turned to the side. Then the other. Then she sighed. This wasn't her. But Caroline thought otherwise. "You. Look. BEAUTIFUL!" she screeched, running across the room towards her. "It fits you perfectly" she nodded, turning Elena around a few times to properly assess the dress. "One more thing" she said, reaching for the veil resting on the nearby chair. Caroline stood behind Elena and fastened it in Elena's hair. "There. Now you look like a bride" she smiled.

"I don't know" Elena said hesitantly. "This is like a 4000 dollar dress. I really don't think I need a dress this expensive" Elena explained.

"Of course you do" Caroline disagreed. "This dress was made for you. If you walk out of the store without it, it will haunt you for the rest of your life" she said seriously. "Besides, Stefan would want you to be happy on your big day" she added.

"I doubt that" Elena mumbled, examining herself one last time. She and Stefan hadn't spoken since the night before when she tried to essentially blackmail him into telling her about Katherine. He had left her a note saying that Caroline was coming over to take her dress shopping and that he was going to be out late. "I can't believe I'm getting married in two days" Elena said, more to herself than to Caroline.

But Caroline was quick to reply. "You two love each other. There's no reason to wait" she smiled, smoothing out Elena's dress. Caroline stopped and looked at her. "Cold feet?" she asked.

Elena turned to look at Caroline. "Would that make me a terrible person?" she asked. Caroline smiled softly and shook her head no. "I love Stefan. But his family status is a lot different than mine was growing up" she admitted. The part about Stefan was a lie. The second part, not really. Her family had money and they were well known in the community, but they were by no means millionaires who made the newspapers in the big cities. It felt uncomfortable to be submersed into a family system with such financial power.

"You'll get used to it" Caroline said. "And besides, you'll be out in the middle of nowhere in that big house. Not in the big city of New York" she explained. Elena still looked unconvinced. "You should talk to Stefan about this. He's a good listener."

Elena fought hard not to scoff. Stefan had to be the worst listener ever. But she held it together. "Yeah, you're probably right" Elena replied.

"So, ummm … are you inviting anyone to the wedding?" Caroline asked. It was her feeble attempt to figure out if Elena had a maid of honor yet.

Elena shook her head. "My brother and best friend can't make it on such short notice. Not with school" she said. It was a lie. Elena had not even called to tell them about this for fear that they would fly out there and drag her back to California with them.

"Oh" Caroline said. "So, do you like, need a maid of honor or something?" she asked, fixing the bottom of Elena's dress.

Elena thought for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I do" she said, a small smile forming. She really liked Caroline, despite how naïve she was about the whole situation.

"Really?" Caroline squealed. "Oh my gosh! I won't let you down" she promised. Though, she had planned the whole wedding anyway and was already responsible for making sure Elena had everything she needed, but she was still excited to have the official title. Caroline threw her arms around Elena, nearly hugging her to death. "I'm going to go and find shoes!" she announced excitedly as she scurried off to another part of the store. Elena simply smiled as she sat down, ready to take the dress off and get out of there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

It was Friday morning, her last day as a free woman. She carefully navigated the stairs with her purse and jacket in hand. She found Stefan in the kitchen, sitting at the counter reading the newspaper and eating a bowl of cereal. Elena stopped in the doorway. "Yes?" he asked in an almost irritated tone. Clearly he was still mad at her for the other night. The guy held grudges like crazy.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm going into Richmond and I won't be back until late" she said. Against Caroline's will, Elena had told her that she wanted to stay at Stefan's house the night before the wedding, promising to stay in a separate room and not see him at all. Like that would be difficult.

Stefan raised an eyebrow as he turned towards her. "Why?" he asked. He was curious as to why she needed to go into the city. She never went anywhere besides work.

"I have stuff to take care of at school" she replied.

"School?" he questioned.

Elena sighed, clearly annoyed with being interrogated. "University of Richmond" she answered.

Stefan stared at her dumbfounded. "You're in college?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am. Why is that so hard to believe?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest.

Stefan turned back to his cereal. "I just didn't peg you as the college type is all" he said. "How are you getting there?" he asked, not really caring but figuring he liked being nosey.

"The bus. Which is why I won't be home until late" she answered. "Unless, you are offering me your car to take" she added.

"Nope" Stefan said, taking another spoonful of cereal in to this mouth.

"Figured" she said, turning to leave. But then she stopped. What she had done to him the other night was going to bother her until she made it right. She turned back around and walked into the kitchen, stopping right next to him. Stefan looked up at her expectantly. "I'm sorry for what I did the other night. It was wrong of me to try and trick you into telling me what happened between you and Katherine. If you don't want to talk about it, then I respect that" she said in one breath. She waited for him to respond.

Stefan locked eyes with her for a moment and she thought he was going to accept her apology. "You're going to miss your bus" he said, turning back to his paper. Elena stared at him for a long moment, deciding it was not worth it to comment, and left the kitchen.

Stefan went back to his paper, flipping through the sports section. College? So, he literally had picked a smart girl to help him pull off this marriage. Well, he would have to see her grade point average to confirm just how smart she really was.

Stefan had just finished the sports section when he heard his front door squeak open. The stomping of little feet filled the room, getting louder as the feet grew closer. "Uncle Stefan Uncle Stefan!" he heard just as a little girl came flying around the corner and into the kitchen. Stefan smiled as she stopped and twirled around in front of him, showing off her flower girl dress. "Isn't it pretty?" she asked, looking up at him with her bright brown eyes.

Stefan stood from his seat and gave a low whistle before picking her up in his arms. "You are going to be the most beautiful girl at the church tomorrow" Stefan told her.

"I know" she smiled. Stefan laughed as he set her down.

Damon strode into the kitchen moments later, going straight for the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water. "Damon, please, come in and look through my refrigerator" Stefan said. Damon ignored his comment. "Lily, why don't you go play so I can talk to your dad" he suggested.

"Okay!" she said excitedly, taking off out of the kitchen.

"So tomorrow's the big day" Damon said, taking a seat. "You know you're not fooling me with this whole marriage bit" he added.

Stefan grinned, determined to ignore him. "How did you get Katherine to let Lily run around in her dress the day before the wedding?" Stefan asked.

Damon shrugged. "What Katherine doesn't know won't hurt her" he said, opening his water. "So where's Elena?" he asked casually.

"School" Stefan answered. Damon raised an eyebrow. "She's a Journalism student at the University of Richmond" Stefan said, mock proudly. "She's a looker and has brains. What do you know, it is possible."

"Well, I suppose you would need a girl smart enough to pull off a fake marriage" Damon replied.

Stefan grinned once again. "You just really can't be happy for me, can you?" Stefan asked. "I've finally found a girl who makes me happy while you're stuck with a wife who cheats on you" he reminded.

Damon slammed his water bottle down on the table, clearly angry with that statement. "Katherine isn't cheating on me" he argued.

Stefan raised his hands in defense. "Okay, calm down" he said.

Damon stood up, frustrated with his younger brother. "I just came by to tell you we bought a house here. So Lily could be closer to you" he said, walking out of the room and yelling for his daughter that it was time to go.

Somehow Stefan thought that was a lie. The only reason Damon would move to such a small town was to lessen the likelihood that Katherine would run around on him. Stefan sighed. The family drama with those two never ended. And there was a child right smack dab in the middle of it.

Stefan checked his phone and sighed again. It was still early and he figured he could get some work done since tomorrow he would be busy at the wedding. A small grin played across his lips. He was really going to pull this off tomorrow. And in six months, it would all be worth it.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

It was close to 8:00 PM when Elena tiredly walked through the door of the Boarding house. She kicked her boots off, leaving them where they landed. She began walking toward the stairs when she realized that the kitchen light was on, and there was a rather nice smell coming from the room. Elena backtracked and made her way over. She peered inside and saw Stefan standing in front of the counter, chopping something. "I'm back" she said, breaking his concentration.

Stefan looked over his shoulder. "Good. Dinner is almost ready" he told her.

"Dinner?" she asked.

"Yes, dinner" he replied. "I'm an amazing cook" he stated. "And you, probably haven't had a decent meal all day" he finished, taking the pans off of the heat and emptying them. As Stefan moved about, Elena stood where she was, confused as to why he was making her dinner.

"You're mad at me" Elena stated, remembering what she had done to him the night before. "About trying to get you to tell me about Katherine" she reminded. "So why are you doing this?"

"I'm not mad" he replied, fixing their plates. "A little surprised that you would have it in you" he said, turning around to smirk at her. "And like I said, you haven't had a decent meal all day. The least I could do is feed you properly the night before our wedding."

Elena looked down at the floor nervously. "I get that you don't want to talk about your past with Katherine …" she said.

Stefan set their plates down, along with some silverware. "Look, Elena. What we have, it's just a marriage. That's it. There's no reason to make this something it isn't by delving into our pasts" he explained. Elena nodded again. Maybe he had a point.

"You're right. We are nothing to each other. We don't need to explain our pasts" she nodded.

Stefan nodded as well. "Good. Glad we can agree on something" he said, sitting down. He looked back at her expectantly. "Are you going to eat?" he asked.

"Sure. I'm just going to run upstairs and wash up really fast" she told him, leaving the kitchen.

Stefan sat there patiently, remembering what his aunt had always told him. Never begin eating until everyone is sitting at the table and served.

Elena was back in the kitchen within ten minutes, having changed her shirt and washed her hands. She took the seat across from Stefan. "This looks great" she said, attempting to make conversation. She picked up her fork and took a small bite, figuring there would not be enough poison in it to kill her. Surprisingly, she found that it tasted amazing. He saw the satisfied look on her face and smirked.

"I guess I lucked out, choosing a girl with an education to pull this marriage off" he mentioned. Elena set her fork down and looked up at him. "I graduated from Yale and went on to Med school at Columbia for a year" he threw out casually.

Elena raised her brow. Those were two incredible schools. "So why did you drop out of Med school?" she asked curiously.

Stefan shrugged. "Wasn't for me" he said, continuing to eat. "So when are you done with your degree?" he questioned.

Elena shifted in her seat. "In a few months" she answered. "December."

"And where do you plan on working?" he asked.

Elena thought about telling him to shut up and mind his own business already, but she got the feeling that he was truly curious. "I thought I might start at a newspaper for experience" she answered. "But ideally, I would like to write my own novels" she added cautiously, having learned that Stefan's uncle owned and operated a publishing company.

This got Stefan's interest. "So you had an ulterior motive when you agreed to marry me" he said.

Elena shook her head quickly. "I didn't know about your family's business when I agreed to this" she said, almost in an argumentative tone.

Stefan smiled. "Relax" he told her. "I was just giving you a bad time" he said, standing and taking his plate to the sink. "I'm heading to bed" he said, walking towards her. He stopped behind her and bent down closer to her. "Big day tomorrow" he whispered into her ear.

Elena felt herself shiver at his breath against her neck. When she was sure he had left the kitchen, she put her fork down. Six months. Six months she had to be around him and not give in to his advances. Elena closed her eyes and sighed. She was doomed. 


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I am back from vacation and I spent a good amount of time writing this for you all! Even though I have papers due at the end of the week, I figured that Stefan and Elena take priority : ) **

**As always, please read and review and let me know what you think! I hope you all enjoy this chapter.**

Elena stood before a church full of people, dressed in her ridiculously expensive white frilly dress, holding hands with Stefan. He had a giddy grin plastered on his face, probably because he would be able to start counting down the days until the money would come rolling into his bank. Every so often, he would run his thumb over her hand, enjoying the fact that she couldn't punch him in front of his friends and family. The preacher was still rattling off meaningless words and Elena still had her fake smile on.

Caroline was behind Elena, holding the flowers and wiping at tears. Lily was in front of Caroline, waving at anyone who looked in her direction. Alaric was behind Stefan, failing miserably at controlling his laughter whenever Stefan would speak. Damon was behind Alaric, his eyes never leaving Elena. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze quite a few times, but looking at Stefan was no better.

Elena could see Katherine out of the corner of her eye. She was pulling small bottles of liquor out of her purse, downing them in three sips or less. Katherine was pretty much drunk by the middle of the ceremony and would begin giggling at inappropriate times. She was also dressed in all black so as to let everyone know that Stefan's marriage would not last. If only Katherine knew how right she actually was. Zach was seated next to her, paying no mind to her behavior. He was used to it by this point. He half wished that she would go find a waiter boy and take him upstairs later at the reception.

"Do you, Elena, take Stefan, to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the preacher asked.

Elena was snapped back into reality when she heard her name. She looked Stefan square in the eye, letting him know that she could blow his cover right here, right now. But he didn't look worried and that bothered her. She had no other choice. "I do" she said, forcing an even bigger smile.

"And do you, Stefan, take Elena, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" he asked.

Stefan focused all of his attention on Elena, looking at her adoringly. It made her want to slap the smile right off of his face. "I do" he replied.

The rings were exchanged in somewhat of a blur. All Elena remembered was how he held on to her hand longer than he needed to.

"With the power vested in me by the state of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Stefan, you may kiss your bride" the preacher finished.

Stefan looked all too happy to pull her in close and kiss her in front of everyone. After all, why shouldn't he be happy? He was that much closer to 12 million dollars. But Elena let him kiss her, let him hold her against him, practically squeezing the life out of her. She could hear the guests standing and clapping and realized that she must have put on quite the performance. When Stefan pulled away from her, they were quickly guided away from the alter and back down the aisle. Elena barely had any time to think before she was being pushed into the limo with the door shutting behind them.

"Whew" Stefan breathed out. "Talk about a lot of work" he said, leaning back in his seat. Elena sat back as well, remaining silent. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm just tired is all" she told him. She hated to think that they still had a few more hours at a reception before they could leave. There would be no honeymoon right now since Elena still had classes. They were just going to rent a small cabin on the outskirts of town where it would be peaceful and quiet. Caroline had been in charge of arranging it. Elena just hoped that the night would pass quickly so she could resume with her real life in the morning.

Stefan shrugged off her excuse. "So, about tonight …" he ventured.

"What about it?" she asked wearily.

"You know. You. Me…" he said. Elena raised an eyebrow. "Sex" he said, deciding to get straight to the point.

"I already told you. I'm not sleeping with you" Elena said, looking out the window.

"What's the harm in us sleeping together?" he asked, staring at her. "We are legally married. Not like we would be doing anything wrong" he shrugged again.

"You might be lousy in bed" Elena replied. A small smirk wanted to form on her face at the idea of Stefan, the Playboy, being lousy in bed. But she didn't let it show.

Stefan scoffed. "Me? Lousy? Not even possible" he told her. Elena muttered something he could not understand, but he was sure it was an insult. "Tell you what" he said, turning to face her. Elena turned to look at him expectantly. "I'll make you a deal" he said. Elena inwardly cringed at the thought of him making another deal with her. "You sleep with me tonight. If after tonight you never want me in your bed again, I swear I will never bring it up again."

Elena's eyes grew wide. "Seriously?" she asked. He shrugged. "You are despicable" she told him, looking back out the window.

Stefan grinned. He was getting under her skin. "Come on now Elena" he said, placing his hand on the top of her leg and running it upwards slowly. Elena slapped his hand away. "You won't regret it" he said smoothly.

"No" Elena said. Stefan leaned away from her and sighed. He wasn't done convincing her yet, but he figured he needed to back off for a bit before he tried to convince her some more. Elena though, thought she had won this battle. Finally.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The reception was nice. Yes, nice was the word Elena would use. Person after person came up to them, congratulating them and wishing them well. Dinner had come and gone, followed by the cutting of the cake and dancing. But Elena hardly ate. And she hardly danced.

Elena had been able to peel herself away from Stefan and all the attention some time later. It felt nice to be able to breathe. She wandered down the hall of the lavish hotel, in search of a peaceful corridor to hang out in until she felt ready to go back to the crowd. Although she found a place, she was sure it would not be peaceful. She found Katherine on the floor, slouched down and leaning against the wall with a glass of champagne in her hand.

Katherine looked up at Elena as soon as she realized she was there. Katherine let her head fall back and bang against the wall as a smile spread across her lips. "Congratulations" she slurred slightly.

Elena stopped and looked at the pitiful woman before her. "Somehow I don't believe that you mean that" Elena told her, a sad expression following.

Katherine began laughing softly. "Of course I don't you stupid girl" she laughed, rolling her head against the wall. She brought the glass of champagne up to her mouth and took a big drink, spilling some of it down her dress. Katherine looked down at the mess and giggled. "Oops" she said, letting the glass drop down beside her. She then closed her eyes and sighed heavily. "You got the brother I was supposed to have" she said softly, as if she were falling asleep. "You got my Stefan."

Elena shook her head. "You have a family who takes care of you, a husband who loves you, and a beautiful little girl" Elena reminded her. She couldn't feel sorry for a woman like Katherine who literally had it all.

Katherine laughed as she opened her eyes. Elena could tell she was drunk, but she apparently was competent enough to hold a conversation. "You think any of that matters to me?" she scoffed.

"Lily should matter to you" Elena told her pointedly.

Katherine smiled. "You think I wanted that little brat?" she asked Elena. Elena felt like she had been punched in the stomach. How could a mother think that way about her own child? "She ruined my figure for nine months and then kept me up all night for another twelve" she said in disgust.

Elena felt tears prick at the back of her eyes. That little girl didn't deserve this. Better yet, she didn't deserve a mother like Katherine. "Then why are you still here?" Elena shot at her. Why didn't Katherine just leave? Have her fun with no responsibilities?

Katherine smirked. "How else would I have access to the Salvatore money?" Katherine asked.

Elena felt so sick that she needed to get away from this woman. Suddenly, she had no desire to learn of what happened between Stefan and Katherine. It was clear that the woman before her was a disaster and she took down everyone around her. "Mommy?" they both heard from behind Elena. Elena turned around immediately to see Lily standing completely still, her eyes glued to her intoxicated mother. "Mommy, what's wrong?" she asked, concern appearing in her eyes.

"Everything Lily. Everything is wrong" Katherine replied, throwing her head back again and closing her eyes, not acknowledging her daughter any further.

Elena remained frozen during this exchange, but she quickly snapped out of it. "Come on Lily, let's go back to the party" Elena said, grabbing the little girl's hand. When the little girl didn't move, Elena followed her gaze which was still on her mother. "Your mom is taking a little rest. She'll be okay" Elena lied. What else would you tell a six year old? "Come on. Let's go and find your uncle" she suggested.

This seemed to grab Lily's attention. "Okay" she said sadly, allowing Elena to lead her away. But as Elena was leading her away, Lily's head was turned around, watching her mother.

Elena kept the girl close to her as they navigated the room, searching for Stefan. He was pretty easy to spot out once they saw the crowd of men. Elena worked her way up to him, apologizing for bumping into people. Stefan smiled when he saw Elena coming his way, but a confused look appeared when he saw Elena's face. She looked upset. So did Lily. "Excuse me" he told the men, stepping around them as he made his way toward them. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Before Elena could answer, Lily burst into tears. "I want Mommy" she cried, giant tears rolling down her cheeks.

Stefan looked at Elena before dropping down to Lily's level and pulling her into his arms. He picked her up, holding her close. "It's okay, we'll find her" he soothed. Stefan felt a hand on his arm. When he turned to look at Elena, she shook her head sadly. And he understood what she meant. He nodded slowly. "Hey, why don't we go and find some ice cream?" he offered instead.

Slowly, the sobs began to retreat as Lily pulled her face away from his chest. "Okay" she sniffed. Stefan wiped some of the hair out of her face and dried her tears. Elena stepped back as Stefan began walking toward the exit. She stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before grabbing another drink and beginning to wander around the room.

"Well don't you look stunning" Damon grinned as he approached her. Elena inwardly groaned. "I see you are not on Stefan's arm anymore. Did you get bored?" he asked.

Elena glared at him. "Where's your wife Damon?" she asked. Damon chuckled. Really? She was going to bring that up again? "Better yet, where is your daughter?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Damon's cocky grin disappeared and Elena could see his mind racing. She decided to put him at ease. "Stefan took her for ice cream after she was traumatized by seeing her drunk mother on the floor in the hallway" she nearly spat.

Damon recomposed himself. "Well, my wife does know how to have a good time" he covered. Elena looked at him with disbelief.

"You are unbelievable" Elena said, downing her drink and setting the empty glass down.

"You know what is unbelievable?" Damon asked. "How many people you two are fooling with this little marriage of yours" he said. Elena groaned in frustration. He really wasn't going to let this go. "Just so you know, I have people watching you two" he grinned. Elena's expression remained unchanged, but she was fuming inside.

"Do you now?" she asked. She would have loved nothing better than to smack him hard.

"Yes" he told her. "They tell me everything" he announced. Elena raised her eyebrow at him. "I know that you two sleep in different bedrooms" he said proudly.

No way was Elena going to give him the satisfaction of being right. "You're right, we did" she announced. Damon looked at her a bit confused now. "I was staying in a separate room because I don't believe in being in bed with a man until I am married to him" she said proudly. "Now that we are married, I can sleep in our bed with him" she stated. She loved the irritated look that Damon was giving her now. But now since people were watching them, she had to be more careful. "Go on now, what else do you know?" Elena asked, crossing her arms.

"Well played, Elena" Damon told her. He stepped even closer to her. "I know this marriage is a sham, so I will have everyone I know watching you two from here on out and I will report everything I find out to my family" he threatened. With that, he walked away.

Elena felt her hand shake at the intense interaction she had just had. Damon could try all he wanted, but he wasn't going to find anything. Elena would make sure of it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena found Stefan and Lily in the large conference room on the other side of the hotel lobby. Stefan was sitting in a large swivel chair and Lily was perched on top of the table, eating her ice cream. Elena approached them cautiously, not too entirely sure that she was welcome. But after her run in with Damon, she needed to get out of the room. "Hey you two" she said.

"Hey yourself" Stefan said, taking another bite of his ice cream. He looked at Lily and smiled, causing her to giggle. Elena noticed a change in his demeanor when he was around Lily. He was … gentle and loving. Things she never saw in him. "Do you want some? We can order it" he told her.

Elena shook her head. "No thank you" she said, turning down the offer. "I just wanted to make sure you two weren't causing any trouble" Elena said, a small bashful smile appearing on her face when he looked at her.

Lily turned to face her and smiled. "Uncle Stefan broke a vase and swept it under the rug" Lily announced, pointing past Elena to where the rug was slightly lumpy.

"Shhh!" Stefan whispered. "You're going to get me in trouble" he told her. He poked at her stomach and the little girl burst into a fit of laughter.

Elena opened her mouth wide in pretend shock at the news. "What do you think Lily? How long should we put him in timeout?" she asked.

Lily thought for a moment before deciding. "Like four days" she said.

Now was Stefan's turn to open his mouth wide in shock. "Four days?" he asked. "I would get really bored" he said.

"Not if I got to go in timeout with you" she said, taking another bite of her ice cream.

"That's true" Stefan agreed. He leaned back in his chair and finished off his ice cream. Elena stood there and watched the two. Elena silently wondered how Lily ended up with two terrible people as her parents when there was a good, albeit somewhat immature and obnoxious, man who could love and take care of her the way she deserved to be. It broke her heart almost to think that Stefan quite possibly might be the only reasonable adult in her life. Then it made Elena feel even worse for the child because Stefan was definitely not high on her list of favorite people. But moments like these warmed her heart just a little.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Finally" Stefan said as he carried their bags into the cabin. "I didn't think this day would ever end." He set the bags down and flopped onto the bed.

Elena stopped and looked around the place. It was small. Very small. As in, one bed in the middle of a room. There was a fireplace and candles and various decorations to make the place cozy. But there was one bed. One bed and one very eager Stefan. "Remind me to thank Caroline for this" she said, pointing carelessly at the bed Stefan was laying on.

Stefan grinned and patted the space next to him. "I'm quite happy with our sleeping arrangements" he said.

Elena rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you are" she said, tossing a pillow from the couch at him. She grabbed her bag and went in to the bathroom to change.

Stefan sat up and removed his clothes, deciding to leave his boxers on out of respect for Elena. Was he seriously not going to have sex on his wedding night? He grabbed an extra pillow and closed his eyes.

The bathroom door opened and Elena walked out in her flannel pajama bottoms and camisole top she always wore to bed. Stefan opened his eyes and smiled at her. "Don't you look adorable" he teased.

"And don't you look severely underdressed for us not having sex tonight" she commented, putting her dress away. She walked back towards the bed and kicked his clothes to the side. She got in the bed, tucking the covers over her tightly. Stefan rolled over on his side and looked at her longingly. "It ain't happening" she said, sighing as she closed her eyes. Then she remembered her conversation with Damon earlier. "Did you know your brother has people following us?" she asked. "He knew we were staying in separate bedrooms." She opened her eyes and turned over to face him.

Stefan smiled. "That so" he said. "Well, he's moved to Mystic Falls so I'm sure he will have an even easier time keeping tabs on us" he mentioned. Elena's eyes grew wide. That was news to her. "What do you propose we do about this?" he asked her.

Elena thought for a moment. As much as she didn't like it, she was going to have to suggest it. "I guess we have to start sharing a room" she shrugged. Stefan smiled. He liked that solution. "Just because I sleep in your bed doesn't mean we have sex" she stated. He frowned. "You're pathetic" she said, shoving a pillow in his face.

He took it from her effortlessly and tossed it aside. "But I don't give up. Do I get points for that?" he asked, leaning closer to her.

"No" she answered, laying back down. This night could not be over any faster, she thought.

"Can I at least get a goodnight kiss?" he asked. Elena groaned. He really was relentless. "Come on. I won't bother you anymore tonight" he promised.

Elena sat up and looked at him. "One kiss" she warned, pointing her finger at him. Stefan agreed and waited for her to lean in to him. As soon as her lips made contact, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her flesh against him. He felt her gasp against his lips and even press her hands against his chest, but she wasn't struggling. So he deepened the kiss, keeping his hold on her. When her breathing became hitched, he figured he had done his job. She wanted him. Maybe not tonight. But she definitely wanted him. Stefan let his forehead rest against hers as she caught her breath. Her eyes locked on his as she swallowed hard.

"Think that was good?" he asked her in a low whisper. "Wait until you see what I can do with my hands." Elena gasped with shock that he would say such a thing in her presence. She quickly pinched the inside of his arm as hard as she could, earning a yelp from him. "What the hell?" he asked, backing away from her.

"Just showing you what I can do with my hands" she said, turning to face away from him. A smirk formed on her face. She turned the light off. He deserved that. Her brain was right. It was a bad idea to get involved with him, physically or emotionally. But her body was fighting that idea. Her body wanted him. Bad. She lay there for a few minutes, trying to get her breathing back to normal so she could sleep.

"Elena?" she heard Stefan ask quietly. Elena shut her eyes tight, resisting the urge to smack him.

"What, Stefan?" she asked, turning back over to face him. It was dark in the cabin, but with the moonlight shining in through the window, she could see his face. He was staring at her. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the room changed.

"Thank you" he said softly, keeping eye contact with her. "For what you did for Lily tonight" he added.

Elena looked at him for a moment before responding. "She didn't deserve to see her mother like that" Elena said. Stefan nodded in agreement. A few more minutes went by in silence. "Does she mean it Stefan? The way she talks about that little girl?" Elena asked in a soft whisper, feeling the same tears that threatened to spill during her earlier run-in with Katherine, return. Katherine had flat out admitted that she never wanted Lily. Hell, she practically talked as if the little girl was the worst thing to ever happen to her. And it broke Elena's heart. Elena silently cursed when she felt a tear fall down her cheek.

It did not go unnoticed by Stefan. "I tell myself that she doesn't mean it" Stefan whispered. He reached out and wiped at a second tear sliding down her cheek. He wanted to smile at the fact that she didn't move away from him, but the subject was not one to smile about. "To be honest, I don't know anymore" he told her.

Elena felt a tightness in her chest that she usually felt when she got bad news. But she nodded slowly and rolled back over to face away from him again.

Stefan remained where he was, trying to figure out what had just happened between them. Had they just had a moment? A real moment where they were both themselves? He shook his head. It couldn't have been. But the fact that the woman right next to him cared about his niece enlightened him. Maybe Elena wasn't so bad after all.

**A/N: So what do you all think about Katherine now? Damon? Stefan and Elena's "moment"?**

**I am super excited about the next chapter. This next chapter is pretty much the reason why I wanted to write this story in the first place. I hope I can get the idea from my head to the paper : )**

**Thanks so much again! I hope all those who celebrated the holiday last week had a good time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: First, I wanted to let you all know that I will be working on the Christmas/Winter break chapter for my last Story, My Life Without You. I should have it up by the end of next week : ) **

**Second, the next chapter in this current story is going to kind of be a breaking point for Stefan and Elena, which after nine chapters, I think is needed. I really look forward to reading your thoughts about this progression. I have so many options to choose from as far as where I want to take this story now. I just want to make sure you all stay intrigued! So, please be sure to let me know what you think.**

**Enjoy!**

The next few weeks went by without too many things to complain about. Elena had moved in to Stefan's room and shared his bed, though she opted to use her own bathroom after he "accidentally" walked in while she was showering. He had been a perfect gentleman while in bed with her too, remaining on his side of the bed and keeping his hands to himself. Most of the time. Some mornings she would wake up to his arms around her, his body against hers. Then she would huff, throw his arms off of her and get out of bed. No big deal though. She started to realize that he was pretty much harmless. Annoying and obnoxious, yes. But harmless all the same.

The mood between them had lightened up and they could hold actual conversations and be in the same room for more than five minutes without wanting to kill one another. Elena realized that she had a lot of time to go before she could be free of Stefan for good. So, she might as well make the best of it.

Elena walked in to the sitting room and passed by him on the couch, in search of her book. Stefan put his magazine down and stared at her. "And where are you off to?" he asked causally.

Elena was still searching. "I got called in to work the afternoon rush" she answered. "Have you seen my History book?" she asked.

"Nope" he replied. Elena came back towards him and searched under the table for it. When she bent over, he swung his leg out and kicked her in the backside.

"Hey!" she laughed, standing up quickly. "Knock it off. I'm going to be late" she said, bending down to look under all the papers he had. Stefan kicked her again. "Stefan!" she yelled, turning around and pointing her finger at him with narrowed eyes.

Stefan grabbed her finger. "What did I say about pointing this finger at me?" he asked, failing miserably at trying to sound serious.

Elena smiled. "You told me not to do it" she answered. "But I'm going to do it anyways" she shrugged. Stefan's foot came around the back of her knee to knock her off balance, sending her landing on top of him. "Stefan!" she yelled again, using his chest to push herself up.

"What?" he asked innocently. She groaned, though he could see a smile forming.

Elena checked her watch. "Now I'm really late" she told him, getting off of the couch. She walked across the room and grabbed her jacket. It was a ten minute walk to the bus stop and another ten minute ride on the bus. "Hey" he called out. Elena turned to face him. "Take my car" he said, tossing her the keys.

Elena caught them and smiled. "Seriously?" she asked. He was going to let her drive the Porsche?

"Just remember, if you put so much as even a tiny mark on it, I will end you" he told her. Elena shook her head and smiled, throwing a thank you over her shoulder as she went out the door. Stefan looked around the empty house and frowned. He had work he could be doing, but opted to do it later. With Elena gone, he was going to be pretty darn bored.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The clock struck finally four o'clock and Elena sighed a deep sigh of relief, tossing her towel down on the counter. She never did understand why the place got so busy in the middle of the afternoon. She untied her apron, grabbed her bag, and waved goodbye to the manager. As she came around the counter, she nearly collided with someone.

"Hello Elena" Damon smiled, holding on to her arms to steady her. Elena immediately took a step back. What was he doing there? "Headed home?" he asked.

"None of your business" Elena said, crossing her arms.

Damon smiled again. "Actually it is my business" he said, pulling Lily out from behind him. Elena hadn't even seen her there. "I need a favor. I would normally ask Stefan, but since I have you here and I am in a rush, you will have to do" he said.

"You're not doing a very good job of convincing me to help you" Elena pointed out. If Lily had not been standing right there, Elena would have probably called him a few choice names.

"Look, I need to run in to the city for a few hours this evening and I need someone to watch Lily" he said. "Katherine is in New York visiting friends" he said, almost as if he was trying to convince himself. "And I really don't want to drag a six year old into the city to a meeting" he explained.

"Six and a half Daddy" Lily corrected.

Damon looked down at her and smiled. "Sorry, six and half" he said. Lily looked up at him and smiled. "I know Stefan is home, I just don't have time to run out there to drop her off. And you're headed that way …" he trailed off. Elena still did not look convinced based on the look she was giving him. "I'll be home to get her by nine at the latest" he tried again. Still nothing. "Stefan would want Lily to stay with you guys" he tried yet again, trying the manipulative route. Nothing. "Fine. Please?" he asked. He really did not want to resort to asking nicely. But he was getting desperate.

Elena smiled victoriously. "What do you say Lily, do you want to come hang out with me and Stefan for a few hours?" she asked.

Lily smiled brightly. "Uncle Stefan will let me brush the horses!" she said excitedly, looking up at her dad for his reaction.

Elena watched Damon carefully to see what he would do. Would he ignore the little girl's excitement like Katherine probably would? "I want you to tell me all about it tonight when I come and pick you up, okay?" he asked her. Lily nodded. "And tell your uncle to take pictures for me. I need new ones of you and the horses."

"Okay Daddy" she smiled.

Damon bent down to her level and zipped up her jacket. "You have fun and mind your manners" he told her. She nodded once again as he pulled her into a hug. "I love you" he said. Elena watched the interaction with mixed feelings. The guy was a total jerk, but like Stefan, he was good with Lily.

"I love you too Daddy" Lily replied, pulling away from him to receive her kiss on the forehead.

Damon stood up and reached into his pocket for his wallet. Elena watched him take out a card and hand it to her. "This is my number if you need to reach me" he explained.

"I think we'll be fine" she said, pocketing the card. "You ready Lily?" she asked, holding out her hand. Lily looked at Elena's hand hesitantly before taking hold of it. Damon waved goodbye to them as they exited the diner. He could faintly hear Elena telling Lily about Stefan teaching her how to ride.

Damon took out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. Settling on a number, he dialed and waited. It rang and rang until the voicemail kicked on. "Katherine, it's me. Where are you? Can you please call me back?" Damon hung up and slowly put the phone back in his jacket.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan looked up from his computer when he heard the front door open. "Elena?" he called, standing up and walking out. He caught sight of Lily and smiled.

"Look who I brought home" Elena smiled, helping the little girl get her jacket off before taking her own off.

"Uncle Stefan!" she squealed, running towards him at full speed.

Stefan caught her in a hug, pulling her close. "Lily!" he squealed back, mocking her. She didn't seem to notice. "What are you doing here?" he asked. Not that he was complaining, but he had some more work to get done.

"Damon had to go into the city, so he asked me if I could bring her here for a few hours. He said he would be back by nine" she explained, taking her scarf off.

"I want to see the horses!" Lily said excitedly.

Stefan sat down on the couch with her, trying to decide how best to break the news to her that he had to work. "Listen Lily. I have to finish up some things for work right now" he said. He watched her face fall into a sad frown. He hated that look. That look could destroy him instantly. He had to compromise. "But how about we go after dinner?" he asked. She looked up and her face instantly became brighter. He felt relieved. "But, first you are going to hang out with Elena for a little bit so I can finish things up. Then I'll make dinner and afterwards, we'll go see them. Got it?" he asked. He chanced a glance at Elena to see if she approved since he basically volunteered her to babysit for a while. She looked a tad annoyed.

"Got it" Lily smiled, hopping off of his lap.

"Hey, why don't you go and get a snack out of the kitchen" he suggested. They watched Lily run off. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked Elena. "I really have to get stuff done for work."

Elena glared at him. "I have reading to do for class" she told him. He shrugged it off as if it was not important. "And I don't know what to do with her for a whole hour or however long it will take you to finish" she said, tossing her arms up in the air.

Stefan groaned. "She's a little person, Elena. She talks. Ask her what she wants to do" he said. "You're the one who agreed to bring her home anyway" he threw in.

This only seemed to annoy Elena more. "Because your brother was desperate" she informed him.

"Where's Katherine?" Stefan questioned, looking behind him to make sure Lily was not walking back towards them yet.

"New York. Visiting friends" Elena replied.

Stefan snorted. "Or Los Cabos with some guy she hooked up with at a club" he guessed. Elena's annoyed expression went away and one of concern replaced it. "Look, forget I said anything. Just give me an hour to finish up my work and then I will take over, okay?" he asked.

Elena really wanted to ask Stefan about Katherine being in another country with another man, but she thought it best to let it go. "Okay" she agreed. Stefan nodded before retreating back towards his office. Elena remained where she was, waiting for Lily.

Her little boots clapped along the hardwood floor moments later as she carried a piece of string cheese in her hand. Elena smiled at her and the little girl stood there, staring at her. "So, what do you want to do?" Elena asked. Lily shrugged. Elena sighed. This was going to be the longest hour ever.

"Do you want to watch a movie?" Elena asked as they climbed the stairs.

"No" Lily answered, shaking her head.

"Do you want to play a game?" Elena asked.

"No" Lily said.

"Do you want to listen to music?" she tried again.

"No" Lily replied. Elena sat on her bed, looking defeated. Elena took her hair out of its ponytail and shook her hair loose. She stood up and walked over to her vanity, taking a seat and grabbing her brush. Lily watched her carefully. "Can I do your hair?" she asked.

Elena stopped brushing her hair and turned around, somewhat surprised by the little girl's interest in her hair. "Of course" Elena said, holding the brush out. Lily walked forward and took the brush, beginning to slowly run it through Elena's hair. "Does your mom let you do her hair?" Elena asked, figuring that was the only reason for the interest.

But Lily shook her head no. "Mommy says I might ruin her hair" she said, continuing to brush strands of hair carefully. Elena found that sad. So she opened up a drawer housing a bunch of clips in all various shapes and sizes, along with headbands, ribbons, and ties. The little girl's face beamed with happiness. "Use anything you want" she told Lily, sitting back in the chair.

Lily came around to the front and looked through the drawer, a smile on her face as she picked through everything. "How about this one?" she asked, holding up a medium sized brown clip.

"That is one of my favorite clips" Elena smiled. Lily smiled right back at her before returning to her spot behind Elena and fastening the clip in her hair. She took it out and redid it numerous times, sometimes pulling Elena's hair. But Elena didn't complain. They were bonding.

Lily chose a few more items and tried different styles with Elena's hair. For the most part Lily carried the conversation, telling Elena all about her room and all of her toys. "Was Uncle Stefan your first boyfriend?" she asked out of nowhere.

Elena looked in to the mirror to see Lily staring at her. Elena shook her head no. "No, I had a boyfriend before I met your Uncle Stefan" Elena told her.

Lily tied a ribbon in Elena's hair. "Why didn't you marry him?" she questioned.

Elena smiled sadly. What should she tell such a little girl about the realities of being an adult in love? Did she lie, tell the truth, or say something in between? "Because he wasn't very nice to me" Elena told her.

Lily paused for a moment and then went back to putting clips in Elena's hair. Elena sighed with relief, thinking that Lily was done talking about it. "Did he call you names and stuff?" Lily asked curiously.

An ache instantly appeared in Elena's chest at the thought. But she took in a small breath and reminded herself to relax. "Yeah, something like that" she answered.

Lily was quiet for a few more minutes as she brushed pieces of Elena's hair. Just then, Stefan knocked on the door before letting himself in. Elena sighed again, glad that he was able to distract Lily. "Look Uncle Stefan, doesn't she look pretty?" Lily asked, motioning to Elena's hair.

Stefan had to hold back a laugh at the sight. Elena had hair twisted up and sticking out with a bunch of clips and ribbons in it. But he held it in. "She does look pretty. You did a really good job Lily" he told her. Lily smiled proudly. "Come on you two. Dinner is ready." Lily ran out of the room, determined to be the first one down. Stefan wandered over towards Elena, admiring the new hair style. "Thank God you didn't let her use scissors" he chuckled.

Elena attempted to slap his leg, but he moved out of the way. "She had fun. That's all that matters" she said, pulling clips out of her hair. "She's a great kid" Elena said. "Very inquisitive."

"She gets that from me" Stefan shrugged. Elena tried hard not to smile, but she couldn't help it. He was getting to her. In the best way possible. But she was still cautious. She had to be. "You comin'?" he asked, walking towards the door.

"Yeah" she said, pulling the last clip out of her hair and following him downstairs.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Dinner was surprisingly nice. Elena found that she really enjoyed sitting around a table again with people, even if they didn't talk much. Stefan had made breakfast for dinner after explaining that it was Lily's favorite. The French toast was amazing and so were the potatoes and bacon.

It was quiet though and Stefan noticed that Lily was hardly touching her food. "You okay Lil?" he asked. She nodded her head yes. Stefan looked at Elena who looked back at Lily. "Do you want something else to eat?" he asked, watching her play with her food. She shook her head no.

When Stefan and Elena had finished up, Stefan took Lily down to the barn while Elena went back upstairs to read.

Stefan tied the horses up and pulled out the stepping stool for Lily so she could brush the horses. Lily was still quiet and looked almost sad. It was bothersome because normally she was so talkative and full of energy. "Everything okay kiddo?" he asked her. Lily didn't respond. "Hey" he said, grabbing on to her elbow to gently turn her towards him. "I know something's wrong. You better tell me" he told her. She always told him everything, even when her parents made her promise not to. That is how he got most of the juicy details about his brother and ex-girlfriend.

Lily sighed and went back to brushing the horse. "Elena said her boyfriend was mean to her" she told him. It had really bothered her because she liked Elena and she didn't like the idea of someone being mean to her.

Stefan looked at Lily curiously. "What boyfriend?" he asked her.

Lily stopped brushing and looked at Stefan. "Her boyfriend before you were her boyfriend" Lily said. "She said he wasn't nice to her" she said sadly.

Stefan swallowed, afraid to prod anymore for information. But he needed to. "Did Elena say how he was mean to her?" Stefan asked.

Lily nodded. "She said he called her names and stuff" Lily answered. But Stefan questioned that. "And stuff" could have meant a whole range of things and probably really bad things too. If Elena had previously been in a bad relationship, it sure did explain her behavior. She was always so closed off and defensive around him. It was like she was afraid to let him get anywhere close to her, and not just physically. Not that he wanted them to get closer, but her behavior was interesting. Lately though she had been more relaxed around him though.

"Did she say anything else?" Stefan asked.

Lily shook her head no. "Uncle Stefan, I don't want him being mean to her no more" she said, her head dropping.

Stefan pulled Lily close and bent down to her level to talk to her. "No one is going to be mean to Elena anymore" he told her.

"Promise Uncle Stefan?" she asked.

Stefan did his best to give her a genuine smile, despite how concerned he was about this ex-boyfriend of Elena's. "I promise" he said, tapping her chin. "Now finish up brushing Ben. We need to tuck them in for the night" he smiled. Lily smiled back and Stefan felt relieved. She went back to brushing the horse and Stefan looked out of the barn towards where the boarding house sat. He could just make out the light coming from Elena's room. Now he was torn. Did he bring up his conversation he had with Lily? Or did he ignore it and stick to his end of the deal? To stay out of her past if she stayed out of his.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena was folding clothes in her room, getting ready to head down the hall to Stefan's bedroom so she could go to sleep. She picked up a shirt from her pile on her bed and folded it before picking up another. "Lily go home?" she asked, not bothering to turn and look at Stefan who was leaning against her door.

"Yeah, Damon just picked her up" he said. "She wanted to tell you goodbye, but Damon was in a hurry" he added.

Elena smiled and turned to face him briefly. "I'll see her soon I'm sure" she told him, folding a pair of jeans.

Stefan looked at her. Really looked at her, but she didn't seem to notice as she continued to fold. "She usually doesn't warm up to people this quickly, but she really likes you" Stefan said.

"I like her too" Elena told him, continuing to fold.

Stefan debated on whether or not to say something. Part of him wanted to let it go. The other part of him wanted to know. "Elena?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she asked, keeping her back to him.

"Was your ex-boyfriend abusive?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

Elena completely stopped what she was doing and as a result, the pair of jeans she was holding fell to the ground. But she made herself slowly turn around to look at him. And her look told him what he didn't want to know. The panic in her eyes. The tremble in her hands. The fact that she looked like she was reliving a traumatic memory in that very moment.

Stefan felt a lump in his throat grow bigger with every passing second that no one spoke. He couldn't take it anymore. "What did he do to you, Elena?" he asked, so quietly that Elena barely heard him. Stefan wasn't sure that he wanted to know. Elena's heartbeat quickened as she stood there. He wanted answers. He suspected something. But how? Why would be bringing this up? Seeing that she was not going to say anything, Stefan walked towards her. As he got closer, he could see just how upset she was. He reached his hand out to touch her arm in a comforting manner, but she stepped away from him. "Elena" he said, his eyes practically begging her to talk to him.

Elena's eyes met his and she saw the concern in them. He saw the fear in hers. "Get out" she said in a quiet, yet demanding voice.

**A/N: So, what do you all think about this new revelation? Will Stefan get out or will he get Elena to tell him everything? Do you guys want to know everything? Again … so many choices here.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: First, I have posted the Winter Break chapter to my last story, My Life Without You. So, if you were waiting to read it, go for it! It is full of happiness!**

**This current story, however, is a little less happy, but I think progress is being made. Since I got so many reviews for the last chapter with a lot of input (THANK YOU!), I decided to make this chapter only Stefan and Elena. So, let me know what you think! Enjoy!**

"Get out" she said in a quiet, yet demanding voice. Stefan remained standing where he was, unsure of what to do. "I said get out!" she yelled at him, surprising both herself and Stefan with her outburst.

Stefan looked at her for a long while, trying to decide if leaving her alone would be the best plan. She was upset. What if he only upset her more? And then she decided to blow off this marriage plan and he didn't get his money?

But Stefan's next move made him realize that it wasn't about their fake marriage or even the money right now. It was about her. "No" Stefan said evenly. It was an awkward situation as the two stared each other down.

Stefan watched Elena ball up her fists tightly at her sides as her face began to turn slightly red. She was angry now. Angry was better than scared in his opinion. "Fine. Then I'll leave" she said, storming past him with such ferocity. And then he did it. He grabbed ahold of her wrist to stop her. He wasn't even thinking anymore at this point. He was acting. On impulse. His instinct told him to stop her. Elena's mouth gaped open as she turned to see him holding on to her. The expression on her face grew angrier. "Let go of me!" she demanded, yanking her arm away from him.

"Tell me what he did to you Elena!" he demanded back, losing his own rational thinking.

She continued to struggle to get out of his grasp, ignoring his question. "Let go! Stop it!" she screamed, taking a swing at his chest with her free hand. Stefan grabbed that wrist too and pushed her backwards against the wall, holding her there so she couldn't hurt herself or him.

In an instant he regretted it. Fear flashed in her eyes and her breathing stopped momentarily. And then tears burst from her eyes. Stefan realized his mistake too late. "Elena, I'm so sorry" he said, guilt seeping from his voice. He let go of her wrists and watched as she remained frozen in place, too scared or shaken up to move. Her eyes refused to meet his, but tears continued to run down her face. "Just … just let me help you" he told her softly. "Tell me what I can do" he nearly begged. Because he felt helpless and useless and that was not something he did well with.

Elena still refused to look him in the eyes, but she was listening to him. No matter how sincere he seemed, she couldn't trust him. Could she? "Just go" she whispered, her tears slowing, though still present.

Stefan could only nod, telling her that he would go. He didn't want to, but she was not going to let him in. Not tonight and probably not ever. He had messed up. He had gone about trying to help her in the wrong way and now she would never trust him.

Stefan slowly took a step back, looked at her sadly one last time, and then left her room. When Elena could hear his bedroom door shut, she sunk down to the floor and sobbed.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Elena tapped her pen against her notebook as she focused on the clock up on the wall. It was ticking by so slow. The professor was talking about something she couldn't recall. Luckily, he hadn't called on her to answer something.

The only thing keeping her awake was the triple shot espresso she had grabbed on the way to class. The only thing keeping her from concentrating was the lingering meltdown she had had in front of Stefan. She had snuck out of the house an hour earlier than usual on this particular day, wanting to get to campus early so she would not have to run in to Stefan this morning.

He hated her. Elena was sure of it. When she did finally return home, he would probably throw her out of the house.

But if she weren't mistaken, which she probably was, Stefan looked concerned. Why, she had no idea. He didn't know her. Hell, he probably didn't even like her. But he had practically begged her to let him help her. Elena shook the thought from her head. She had messed up. She had treated him so horribly in his own home. Just because she had been upset did not give her the right to scream at him and tell him to get out.

Elena focused in on the clock once again and sighed. Two more hours until she would have to go back to Stefan's place. At least she had a two hour ride home to try and figure out what she was going to say to him.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan sat in his chair, facing his fireplace in his room. It was dark in there, except for the light that the fire gave off. He finished off his drink – scotch on the rocks – and set the glass down next to him.

He had woken up to find Elena gone. Probably not gone, gone. Her stuff was still in her room, but her schoolbag was gone. He couldn't remember what days she had class. He had never bothered to pay attention. He hadn't learned really anything about her. His only goal was to put up with her for six months so he could get his money. It never occurred to him that Elena might have a past. And not a very good one either.

Stefan closed his eyes and let his head fall back, listening to the crackle of the fire. A few more drinks and he would be at ease with everything.

A creaking door opened slowly, causing him to lift his head and open his eyes. It was his door. As slowly as it opened, it closed even slower. Soft footsteps could be heard coming his way. And then she was there, standing still, facing the fire with him.

Elena did some thinking on the bus ride home. A lot of thinking. "His name is Derrick" she began, speaking quietly, yet confidently. Stefan felt his body tense. She was going to tell him. "I met him a few months after my parents died. My brother was still in the hospital, going through rehabilitation after the car accident" she explained. "The money to pay for his hospital stay and all of the therapy had run out a month earlier, so I had to sell our family's home and give up my college fund. I moved in with my best friend, Bonnie, and her family."

Elena looked over at Stefan briefly to see if he was listening. He appeared to be, though his face never changed. "And then I met Derrick" she sighed. "He was in my statistics class. Charming, understanding, everything that a stupid, naïve girl would fall for" she said. Stefan could hear the disgust in her voice. "Anyways, I fell for him hard. I was such an emotional wreck and I wasn't thinking clearly. Ended up moving in with him in his place in the city. Bonnie begged me not to, but I didn't listen. Because I was so sure that he was going to take care of me. I needed him to. My brother took Bonnie's side and I ended up getting in this huge fight with both of them."

She paused for a moment, thinking about the fight. It had been terrible for everyone. "Everything was really good between Derrick and I for a while" she said, remembering. "He even asked me to marry him and I said yes." Stefan heard her take a deep breath and knew what was coming next. "And then we got into our first fight. I don't even remember what it was about. I think it was about me having plans for the weekend. Anyways, we started yelling and before I knew it, I was on the ground, grabbing my face."

Stefan's right hand clenched tightly shut. Elena looked down at her own hands nervously, wondering what Stefan was thinking. The silence after a while made her uncomfortable. "He told me that if I told anyone, he would make it twice as bad the next time. I didn't tell anyone. But it kept happening" she admitted, reliving his exact words over again.

She noticed that both of Stefan's hands were now clutching tightly to the armrests of the chair. "It took me a year, but I finally left. I waited until he went to work one day and then I packed my bags and I left. I took a leave of absence from school so he couldn't find me. And I ran for almost a year until he graduated and would no longer be on campus. I eventually had to tell my brother and my best friend, and then beg them to let it go, to not do anything about it. I had successfully avoided Derrick for a year. I didn't need them finding him." Elena knew perfectly well that her brother would have made him pay, most likely with a severe beating. And Bonnie would have gone to the police, though Elena knew that would do no good.

"I came back to Mystic Falls and enrolled back in school. I got a job and I prayed like hell that he wouldn't come looking for me" she finished.

Stefan knew she was finished. But he still could not move or speak. He could feel a surge of anger course through his body. And anger was not something that the Salvatores handled very well. So Stefan forced himself up out of his chair and brushed past her. Elena remained where she was, her head down. Her revelations meant nothing. He was still angry with her.

Stefan grabbed a notepad and a pen from his desk and walked back towards her. He handed them to her. "What's this for?" she asked in a small voice. She was confused.

"Write everything down about him. Anything you know. Full name, address, phone number, type of car he drives …" he instructed.

"Stefan …" she said, still clearly confused. What would any of this do?

He shook his head to dismiss her questioning. "I'm going to find him" he said, his voice desperate. "I'm going to find him and I'm going to kill him" he said quickly. Clearly he was not thinking logically. She knew that.

Elena shook her head this time. "You're not going to find him" Elena spoke softly. "And you're not going to kill him."

"Why the hell not?" he practically yelled, causing her to jump slightly. "He deserves to die, Elena!" he said angrily. He began pacing.

"No one deserves to die" she said quietly, remaining where she was.

Stefan shook his head angrily. "Why did it take you a year, Elena?" he asked, continuing to pace. "He could have killed you in that year!" he yelled. "You should have left the first time it happened." He was frustrated. With her. With himself. With the situation.

Elena felt both guilty and angry at the mention of what she should have done. Of course she should have left. "He said he would kill me" she whispered, remembering his words exactly. She even remembered the way his eyes looked when he was speaking to her – full of promise.

Stefan stopped moving and turned to face her. "He what?" he asked, not sure if he had heard her correctly. He didn't know why it surprised him. The guy was a creep.

Elena stood straight, getting the courage to look at him. "He said that if I left him, he would find me and kill me" she said, her voice shaking.

"It was a threat" Stefan said quietly, locking eyes with her finally.

Elena felt tears well up in her eyes as she slowly shook her head no. Stefan could see that she was on the verge of tears. "It was a promise" she told him sadly. "If he ever finds me, he will kill me" she said. It terrified her, but at the same time, she knew that she could not live in fear every day for the rest of her life.

She was having trouble reading his thoughts. "I thought you needed to know. Just in case he finds me and he threatens you or something" she said, looking down at her feet.

Stefan looked at her in disbelief. "Stop" he said. Elena looked up at him. "Just stop" he repeated, holding his hand up. He couldn't believe her. She was worrying more about him than herself. He walked straight over to her, grabbing her face in his hands to make sure that he had her full attention. "I can take care of myself" he told her, wanting her to understand. He would love to see that creep come around and threaten him. He actually hoped this Derrick guy would come looking for Elena. "And I'm going to take care of you too" he said, his eyes penetrating her own. She felt the tears fighting hard to escape from behind her eyes. She wanted to believe him. To trust him. "He's never going to hurt you again. I promise you."

Elena closed her eyes to keep her tears at bay. They escaped anyways. Stefan pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Again, he really wasn't thinking. He was acting.

But Elena realized immediately what was happening. He was pitying her because she was showing weakness. She couldn't do this. He would walk all over her from here on out. Quickly, Elena lifted her head and pushed herself away from him. "Stop, Stefan" she told him.

Stefan looked at her a bit confused. He was being a nice guy. Why was she becoming distant now? "What's wrong?" he asked.

Elena shook her head. "You can't do that. This" she said, motioning her hand between them. "I don't want your pity. I don't need your pity" she told him.

"I don't pity you" he told her, working really hard to not lose his temper out of frustration. "I'm concerned" he corrected.

Elena felt her own frustration build and she snapped at him. "You don't care about me!" she yelled, her tears coming back. She covered her face with her hands and sunk to the floor. How could she be so stupid, showing him just how vulnerable she was? Stefan bent down to grab her arm, but she yanked it away from him, glaring up at him.

"Elena, please" he said calmly. "Let me help you" he told her. He didn't know what he could do, but he had to do something. He was a fixer. Always had been, always would be.

Elena shook her head again and looked away from him. He couldn't help her. She didn't trust him. "I don't trust you" she said quietly.

Stefan sank down beside her, grabbing her face and encouraging her to look at him. She did so reluctantly. "You don't have a choice" he told her. It wasn't a threat. It was reality. She had married him. She had no one around to help her. And she had told him a painful truth about her past. As much as she hated to admit it, he was all she had right now. "Elena" he said, leaning closer to her. "I'm not the bad guy here. Don't make me out to be him" he said.

She was hit with the realization that Stefan was right. She couldn't use her past relationship to judge every single guy she came into contact with. It wasn't fair. And as much as she hated the kind of guy that Stefan was, a player, he had never made her feel afraid or powerless. And that was something. Something she had to hold on to for the next few months if she was going to survive this marriage without having a complete mental breakdown. Elena realized that Stefan was still staring at her. "You're right" she nodded. "You're not him" she said quietly.

Stefan brushed away some more stray tears from her face. "It's going to be okay" he told her. She nodded, struggling to believe him. She wanted to believe that he truly cared about her and was genuinely concerned about her. But then he proved it to her, when his lips made contact with hers. He was gentle and cautious, not wanting to upset her. A few moments passed and he slowly pulled away from her. Elena's arms went around his neck, pulling him close to her. She buried her face in his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her waist, providing any comfort that he could. Elena had just opened up to him about something she probably would have rather not ever thought about again. He understood her a little better now. And she was accepting his comfort.

Maybe it was time he told her about Katherine.

**A/N: Hmmm … Will Stefan tell Elena about his past with Katherine finally? **


	11. Chapter 11

It must have been about five or six in the morning. He couldn't tell. The fire had gone out and the entire room was dark. He hadn't fallen asleep since they laid down. Somehow, he had pulled them up from the floor and into his bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out, probably exhausted from her day at school along with the emotional toll that night had taken on her. He was just glad that she had been able to sleep.

He couldn't though. A million things were running through his mind. Where was Derrick? Was he planning on coming back for Elena? Was he going to hurt some other poor unsuspecting girl? Then his thoughts would jump to Katherine. The evil, lying bitch who had taken him for granted and left him crushed, unable to love another woman for fear that she would do exactly what Katherine did. He should tell Elena. Because she had revealed her past to him. Even though they said they weren't going to do that. But it made no sense. Her sad story for his? No. This wasn't about fair trades. He was pretty sure that Elena was not expecting his story in return for hers. He was pretty sure that Elena telling him wasn't even about wanting him to know or even trying to protect him. He was pretty sure that Elena had needed to let it all out. To tell someone besides her brother and best friend. Maybe she was tired of being strong, building up her walls so strong and making sure they stayed strong enough so no one could get through. Because every man was bound to hurt her the way Derrick had done. Just like every woman was going to hurt him the way Katherine had.

Stefan broke free from his thoughts to find Elena awake, lying completely still and watching him. It was almost creepy the way she could do that. Elena looked at him, her eyes filled with caution. She realized what had happened last night. She had let Stefan in. Not all the way in, but far enough where he could get all the way in if he wanted. It was a big risk for her, but having been able to tell someone about it was worth it.

Stefan looked away from her, not being able to take her looking at him any longer. Not if he was going to tell her. "I met Katherine just after I graduated from high school" he began, remembering back almost seven years ago now. "We spent the entire summer together and I decided that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her" he said.

Elena swallowed, realizing that he was going to tell her about Katherine. She had wanted this, but seeing the pained look on his face was making her change her mind. But maybe he needed to tell her. Elena abandoned her own pillow and moved herself closer to him, resting her head mere inches from his. Stefan's eyes returned to hers, realizing just how close she was now. Her eyes were now full of understanding, letting him know that she would lay there quietly and let him talk.

"At the end of the summer, I asked her to marry me. She said yes and moved to Connecticut with me so I could start at Yale" he explained. "She wasn't happy there though. She had been modeling before she met me and there just wasn't a lot of work where we were. So she moved back to New York about a month later." Stefan sighed as he thought about what to say next. "I flew out to see her every weekend. I came back to New York for all of my breaks. She seemed happy though." Even if he wasn't. He hated being away from her, even for five days. "I missed her like crazy."

Stefan readjusted his head on his pillow, trying to get comfortable. "Then people started talking, saying that Katherine was cheating on me while I was away. Caroline was the first one to say something. Zach was next. But I didn't believe any of them. Know why?" he asked. Elena shook her head no. "Because I asked Katherine if she was cheating on me and she got really upset and said that everyone was just trying to break us up. She said that no one would ever come between us though" he said.

"I believed her" Stefan stated. "But this little part of me wondered if maybe she was lying" he admitted. He had felt terrible back then for thinking it too. "A few weeks before the end of my first year at Yale, she called me and told me she was pregnant. She was all kinds of excited and she started talking about moving back to Connecticut with me and us getting a house and getting married …" he trailed off. "I was shocked, to say the least. We had always been so careful." He went quiet again for a moment before continuing. "And I had no idea how to be a dad or if I was even ready to learn. But the thought of having Katherine back in Connecticut with me and us moving forward in our relationship gave me hope that things would work out" he said quietly.

Stefan sighed heavily. "And then one night, we got in this huge fight about her wanting to go out partying with some friends she had met in town. I told her I didn't think it was a good idea because of the baby." Elena again watched a pained expression appear on Stefan's face and she feared that she knew what he was going to say next. "And that's when she told me to leave her alone because the baby probably wasn't even mine anyways."

Elena felt her hands clench into fists at the mention of him possibly not being the father. Though, Elena already knew this, just not the context behind it. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. "I thought at first that she was just angry with me and wanted to hurt me. But she was serious. And she went out that night, doing God knows what. But the next day, she came home and she broke down into tears, telling me she hooked up with some guy a few times and he skipped town before she found out she was pregnant" he said, taking a breath. "I was so angry that I left for two days and wouldn't answer her calls."

"You were hurt" Elena corrected cautiously, waiting for his reaction.

Stefan blinked a few times. "Yeah, I was hurt" he agreed. "When I did end up coming back, she was a mess. She hadn't been sleeping. She had been crying and calling all over trying to find me. She kept telling me how sorry she was and how much she loved me. It had been a mistake and she couldn't lose me" he remembered.

"But you left her?" Elena asked, not being able to help herself. She was genuinely curious now.

Stefan shook his head and laughed at himself almost. "I stayed. I loved her and I was going to love this baby whether he or she was mine or not" Stefan answered. "We weren't planning on telling anyone about the paternity issue because I didn't think it mattered. No one in my family was particularly happy that she was pregnant though. No one wanted her in the family and now, with the baby, she was guaranteed a place in it whether anyone liked it or not."

"As the months went by, I started to get more and more excited about the baby" he said, a small smile appearing. "I read all of those baby books and went to all of the doctor appointments. I even bought us a house so there would be more room for the baby, with a yard and a park just down the street. Katherine seemed really happy for once, too" he mentioned. "We discussed baby names together and we started spending more time together. Like we did when we first met. I really felt like things were going to be okay."

Elena sensed that something had happened to get in the way of that happiness though. "Zach announced that he wanted a paternity test done after the baby was born. I know I said that it didn't matter to me, but I wanted to know. For my own sanity" he said, guilt dripping from his voice like wanting to know was an awful thing. "Katherine begged me not to go through with it, but I did anyways. After Lily was born, we did the test. If she wasn't mine, she was that other guy's who skipped town" Stefan said.

Only, Elena knew that wasn't true. "I remember after the test was done, I went to the nursery to wait for the results while Katherine was resting. I was sitting in the rocking chair in there, holding Lily. We had agreed on that name for a girl" Stefan explained. "Lily was looking up at me, just staring at me. I knew I was going to love her more than anyone. She was so beautiful. Still is" he smiled. "I couldn't wait to take her home. I had everything set up for her. I painted the nursery pink with brown ponies and yellow stars and she had all of these stuffed animals in her room" he said, continuing to smile at the memory. Elena felt herself begin to smile at him. This was quite possibly the most adorable thing she had ever heard a guy say.

But then his smile disappeared and so did hers. "I was talking to Lily when Zach walked in to tell me the results. Damon was with him and he was really quiet. Too quiet for Damon" Stefan remembered. "I asked Zach what was going on and he told me that I wasn't the father. I knew there was a good chance that I wasn't, but it still hit me hard. I remember feeling like I was going to get sick" he told her. "And then Zach told me that Damon was. No warning or leading up to it. Just flat out announced that Damon was the father. To say I was shocked was an understatement. I would have never thought that Damon could do that to me. We had always been really close." Stefan said before taking another breath.

"My mind was racing and before I knew it, Zach had reached over and taken Lily from me, only to hand her over to Damon" he said quietly. Elena felt her heart hurt for Stefan at that very moment. "My eyes began to water and before I knew it, I was crying. I hadn't cried since my parents died" he admitted. "Zach told me to leave the hospital. To go home and he would come over to see me later. He didn't want me to see Katherine or be near Damon. He knew I would let my emotions control me. He was right. So, I left. I walked downtown to some dive bar and I got trashed. I don't know how I made it back to my house later that night, but I did. And I went through the house, destroying every picture with Katherine and Damon in it. And then I went upstairs into Lily's room and I was planning on destroying everything in there too. Because I wanted someone to pay for ruining my life and taking the most important thing away from me" he admitted. Fatherhood. "But I saw her little face looking up at me and I just … I couldn't destroy something that belonged to her. She was innocent in all of this" Stefan said calmly. "So I sat in the rocking chair in the dark until I fell asleep."

Elena didn't realize she was crying until a tear landed on the arm she had tucked under her head. This was just all too much. How could two people destroy another person like that? Two people who were supposed to love him? It wasn't fair. She slowly began to realize why he acted the way he did with women. With her. He was protecting himself. He wanted, needed, attention, but he was afraid of getting hurt. So, he simply fooled around with girls to fill that void and then moved on, never letting his heart get the chance to be broken. It was really sad. "I ended up moving back to my apartment near campus. Katherine moved in with Damon back in New York. Zach bought them a house. They got married a month later" Stefan stated. He had had no say in any of this. "Zach told them that marriage was their only option. Lily would always be taken care of, but if Katherine wanted to be entitled to the same things, she was going to have to commit. Katherine wanted to marry me instead though, like we had planned, but Zach said Lily would be better off if Katherine and Damon married. Things would be less complicated. That and I didn't want anything to do with her. With any of them. I hated Katherine and Damon. And I was angry at Zach for making all of the decisions, but he was right. In the end, he was looking out for me too."

"Does he love her?" Elena asked softly. If Damon had been messing around with Katherine, was it because he felt something for her?

"Yes" was all Stefan answered with. "Damon wanted Katherine. I found that out later. He was thrilled to be the father of her baby and he really fell into the husband/father role quickly" Stefan told her. "But Katherine doesn't love him. She hates him. And in her sick mind, she blames Lily for losing me" he said and she could hear the hurt in his voice.

"Katherine told me she never wanted to be a mother" Elena told him, remembering back to her drunken state.

Stefan shook his head. "Katherine doesn't want to be a mother to Damon's child. She wasn't ready to be a mom, still isn't in my opinion, but I guarantee you, if Lily had been mine, Katherine would have tried a hell of a lot harder to be a good mom" he said. Because she wanted to be with Stefan more than anything. She still did.

"Did you still get to see Lily after she was born?" Elena asked.

"I still saw Lily every weekend. I would fly out. I wouldn't talk to Damon or Katherine. Zach would usually bring her to me" Stefan admitted. "It took me almost two years to be able to face them. They took everything from me and if they regretted it, they never really showed it."

Elena slowly reached her hand out and covered Stefan's, offering up any support she could give him. "You're her uncle. That's something" Elena said, giving him a sad yet encouraging smile.

Stefan shook his head though. "I'm not the one she calls Daddy. I don't get to tuck her in to bed every night or make important decisions regarding her future" he said sadly. "I'm a glorified babysitter."

It was Elena's turn to shake her head. "You are so much more than just a babysitter. She loves you, Stefan. Don't you see how important you are to her?" Elena asked. "The way her eyes widen and a bright smile appears on her face just at the mention of your name. She trusts you too, and I guarantee you, when she needs help, she's going to come running to you" Elena told him. Elena could tell that Stefan was listening to her, even if he remained silent. "Stefan" she said squeezing his hand. "I am so sorry that they did that to you" she said, truly believing that he needed to hear that. Because they had probably never said it to him. "But you can have all of that again. You can get married and have kids of your own" she told him.

"No" Stefan said quickly. "I don't want all of that anymore. It's not worth it."

Elena smiled sadly. "It is with the right girl" she told him. He slowly looked up at her, catching her staring intently at him. "Not all women are like Katherine. There's someone out there who won't take you for granted. Who would love you with everything she had" Elena smiled. "You just have to find her and let her" she added.

"And you? Do you want all of that?" he asked her. She had been through hell and back. She should have been ready to give up too, in his opinion.

Elena nodded. "I do want to get married, for real, and have kids one day" she admitted. "I just have to get past thinking that every relationship is going to turn out like the last one" Elena added. She hadn't gotten past that yet though.

"Well, I hope it all works out for you" he said, rolling onto his back and looking up at his ceiling. He could tell that Elena wanted to press on with the issue at hand, but he was quick to change the subject. Things were just too depressing right now. "What are you doing today?" he asked her, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.

Elena realized that he was done talking. That was fine with her. She was amazed that he had talked as long as he did. "I don't know. I don't have class or work" she said. She was glad too.

So she wasn't doing anything either. He sat up and looked at her. "I'm going to the mall. Wanna go?" he asked her. He actually liked the mall. He also thought that a trip to the mall might cheer her up too.

That was the last suggestion Elena thought he would make. She hadn't been to a mall in years. "I .. guess" Elena said hesitantly.

Stefan scoffed. "Thanks for your enthusiasm, Elena" he told her. "The horror of having to spend the day with your ridiculously attractive and very funny husband" he added.

Elena couldn't help the grin that appeared. "You sure think highly of yourself" she told him, finally sitting up as well.

Stefan tossed a pillow at her as he got up and wandered toward his bathroom. "Care to join me in the shower too?" he asked, stopping to lean against the doorway. Elena shook her head, but smiled. "Suit yourself. You're missing out though" he winked, turning and going into the bathroom.

When she heard the shower turn on, she fell back into his bed. She bit her lip and thought about everything that he had said. Hearing him talk about how excited he was about the baby – everything he had done to prepare – really hit her hard. So he really was a good guy underneath all of that hurt.

Yes, she found him attractive and funny. But more importantly, she could relate with him on what it felt like to be destroyed by a relationship.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I started re-watching some of the recent episodes of The Vampire Diaries and decided that things are way too sad and depressing for Stefan and Elena right now. So I had to right a somewhat fluffy chapter for us. But it is significant nonetheless!**

**Enjoy and as always, let me know what you think!**

Elena was determined to enjoy the day, despite all of the sad and depressing things they had talked about recently. The mall parking lot was not too full, probably because it was a weekday. But Stefan had still parked way out in the middle of nowhere, saying his door had been dinged on more than one occasion in a parking lot. So she kept a fast pace to keep up with him as they walked toward the mall entrance. "So, is there anything in particular that you are looking for?" Elena asked as they went to cross the road.

Stefan stuck his arm out and stopped her as a truck continued to drive on by with no indication that it was going to stop. Then they continued walking. "I don't know. Maybe new jeans since Caroline always complains that mine are old" he said, looking down at his jeans as he walked. They looked fine to him. "Oh, she's coming for a visit this weekend, by the way. Alaric too" he announced.

"So which one of them is actually your best friend?" Elena questioned, entering the mall doors with him.

"Well" Stefan said, thinking about it carefully. "I've known Caroline forever which means I know everything about her and she knows everything about me. But Alaric is a guy and understands me better" he analyzed. Then he stopped and turned to her. "But my actual best friend?" he said, a smile playing on his lips. "Why that would be Lily" he announced.

Elena swore her heart just melted. "You know, if you had been this sweet when you first met me, instead of trying to get me into bed, you would have had an easier time convincing me to marry you" she told him.

Stefan grinned. "I'm still trying to get you into bed. I'm just taking a different approach" he announced, beginning to walk again. She raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on, it has been well over a month since I …" he began, looking around to see who might be listening. "Got … some" he said, trying to be mature about the whole thing. "Don't think I'm not eager still to … get some … with you" he told her, his grin still present.

Elena followed him, curious as to what his new approach was. "And just how are you planning to get some with me?" she asked. She had already told him it wasn't happening. Ever.

Stefan shrugged. "I'm backing off. Letting you come to me" he explained.

Elena scoffed. "You think I will come to you?" she asked.

Stefan looked over at her and smiled. "I really do" he answered her. "When you are ready" he added, veering off into one of the stores. Elena followed him.

"I already told you. It's not going to happen" she reminded him, crossing her arms.

"Okay" was all he answered as he picked up a pair of jeans and examined them. "What do you think?" he asked.

Elena was annoyed. "They're nice" she grumbled.

Stefan walked back by her and looped an arm around her waist, pulling her in close so he could whisper in her ear. "Lack of sex - good sex - makes me grumpy too" he told her, smiling as he felt her shove him off of her.

Stefan chuckled, slapping her backside as he wandered off to look for a dress shirt.

Elena clenched her hands and glared in his direction. He made her want to scream out in frustration sometimes. But when she didn't want to scream, she wanted to be around him. Because he made her smile. And she hadn't done a lot of that in a while. So what was the harm in giving in to Stefan's advances? It was just sex, right? Two consenting adults who appeared to be attracted to one another. And then she remembered why she was so against sleeping with Stefan. But was it a valid reason? Especially if she was supposed to be moving forward with her life?

Elena shook the thought from her mind and looked around for Stefan. He was paying for his clothes. As she approached, she realized that the woman behind the counter was flirting with Stefan. Her hand was resting on his arm and she was leaning over the counter, laughing at whatever it was that Stefan was saying. "Disgusting" Elena mumbled.

"Well I should get going" Stefan said politely, bidding the woman goodbye. The smile was still on his face when he saw Elena. "Ready?" he asked her.

"Yep" she, falling in to place alongside him as they exited the store. "So do you want to grab lunch here or sleep with that woman later?" she asked, not even attempting to hide how much his flirting had bothered her.

Stefan stopped abruptly and laughed. "Really?" he asked her. Elena looked everywhere but at him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you are jealous" he smirked.

"I am not!" she said, raising her voice. Elena crossed her arms, silently cursing herself for acting jealous. Because she was sure that she wasn't.

Stefan chuckled lightly. She was kind of cute when she was jealous. "I'm not planning on sleeping with anyone while we are married, Elena" he told her. Elena looked up at him, somewhat surprised by what he was saying. "I roped you in to this marriage. The least I can do is respect you" he said. Elena was really impressed with his words and he could tell. So, Stefan smiled softly and looped his arm around her, pulling her along. "Now, can we have a little bit of fun the rest of the day?" he asked, giving her a tight squeeze as they veered off into another store.

Elena looked around and realized they were in a women's only store. "Uh, Stefan, I don't think you are going to find any clothes in here to wear" she said, holding back a laugh.

"I know Elena. But you will" he replied. Elena stopped. "What?" he asked her.

Elena looked around the store, recognizing that anything she would want in here would be way out of her price range right now. "I can't …" she began, only for Stefan to cut her off.

"Yeah, you can Elena" he told her. "Part of the deal was, you would get to use my money for any personal needs, AKA, shopping" he reminded her. Elena looked at the ground uncomfortably. She did remember him saying that. "You haven't used any of my money to pay for anything, Elena. The point was for you to live comfortably while you were married to me."

"I don't need your money" she told him. "I'm not a gold-digging whore" she stated.

"You're not Katherine, I know that" he told her, catching on to what she was talking about pretty easily. Elena looked up at him cautiously. "Lily uses my money all the time. In fact, she tells the salesclerk to put it on her account and her Uncle Stefan will pay for it. I don't mind, you know why? Because she makes me happy. And you are making me happy right now" he told Elena.

Elena smiled too. "I'm making you happy?" she asked him. That felt nice to hear.

"Yes. You are nice to be around" he answered. "So now that we have established that you are not my ex and that you make me happy, let's get you trying on clothes" he said, pushing her forward in hopes that they could drop all this serious talk.

Elena did little to resist him this time, figuring she was way overdue for new outfits and quite frankly, she deserved them, seeing as how she had to put up with Stefan for more hours during the day then she cared to.

Thankfully, Stefan let her choose her own clothes to try on and seemed to be more occupied with his phone than bothering her. That was just fine with her. "I'm going to try these on" Elena told him, readjusting the pile of clothes in her arms. Stefan just nodded and went back to reading whatever was so important.

Elena locked herself in the small fitting room and turned around to hand up her clothes. The room was incredibly small and she half thought about seeing if there were any larger rooms. But she shrugged the idea off. It was only her in the room after all. She could manage. She stood there for a moment and stared at her reflection in the mirror on the wall opposite of the door. It still came as a surprise to her whenever she would look into a mirror now and not have a deep blue and purple mark under her eye or somewhere on her cheek. She looked much better overall, though her hair could have used a good conditioning.

Elena began to peel her sweater off and then got rid of her shirt too. She grabbed one of the shirts, a dark blue one, off of the hanger and pulled it on, turning to face the mirror to see if she liked it. She did. Satisfied with that one, she removed it and went on to the next, a light pink one. She liked that one too and realized that she was probably going to like everything she tried on. She pulled that shirt off, ready to try on the next one when she heard someone frantically tapping on her door. "Elena!" he whispered harshly. "Elena!" he repeated, continuing to tap.

Elena quickly opened the door just a crack, remembering that she had no top on. She could see Stefan standing there frantically. "What?" she asked, somewhat confused by his behavior. Stefan looked back behind him and his panic seemed to intensify. He pushed the door open and nearly ran Elena over to get inside. He spun around and quickly locked the door. "Stefan!" Elena protested, moving back as far as she could, which wasn't much in that tiny room.

"Shhhh!" he warned, turning around to face her.

Elena stood there, an angry glare shooting his way. "Stefan?" a woman's voice called from just outside the fitting room area.

The panic was back yet again as he moved toward Elena, attempting to get away from the door as fast as possible. Elena felt her back hit the mirror as Stefan pressed her against it. Footsteps of someone wearing heels could be heard coming in their direction. "What is going on?" Elena whispered harshly, not particularly found of having him pressed up against her the way he was, especially when she was missing her shirt. "You're going to get us in trouble!" she added.

Stefan clamped his hand over Elena's mouth, staring down at her. "I'm hiding from a girl I went to high school with" he informed her. "She was madly in love with me and she's freaking crazy!" he whispered.

"You're an adult now. Don't you think you are being childish?" she hissed under his hand.

"Trust me, if you knew her like I did, you would be running for your life too" he replied.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Stefan inhaled sharply. "Miss, is everything alright in there?" the store employee asked.

It was Elena's turn to panic. She couldn't be caught with Stefan in her dressing room. Surely she would be kicked out of the store and asked to never return. It would be humiliating. Suddenly she hated Stefan right now. Stefan removed his hand to let her speak. "Yes, everything is fine" Elena replied quickly.

"Is everything fitting okay?" the employee asked.

Stefan finally took the time to notice that Elena wasn't wearing a top. He looked down, getting a good look. "Nice bra" he mouthed, causing her to slap him.

"Yes, everything is fitting" Elena replied, turning a deep shade of red now that Stefan was clearly enjoying the sight of her.

"You sure you don't need any help?" she asked again.

Elena felt like telling the lady to buzz off. "No, I'm good" Elena answered.

Elena felt Stefan duck his head down into the curve of her neck, his lips stopping just below his ear. "You sure?" he whispered. "Because I am good at taking clothes off." She felt him smile against her skin, though he wasn't kissing it.

She even felt herself smile, no matter how hard she was trying to be mad at him. "Is she gone?" Elena whispered.

Stefan pulled back away from Elena and listened. "I think so, why?" he asked, wondering if she was going to throw him out and let the crazy girl from school have him.

He locked eyes with her and noticed a silly smile on her face. "So I could do this" Elena said, grabbing his face and pulling him back in so she could kiss him.

Stefan was surprised, but he quickly regained his composure and kissed her back, making this one count because for the first time, she had kissed him first. He pressed her up against that mirror just a little more in his attempt to be closer to her. Her hands eventually left his face and traveled down to his waist, eventually working their way under his shirt and to his back. Stefan's hands were now on her hips, his lips leaving hers and kissing their way down her jaw to her neck, working their way to her shoulder.

Oh, it felt good. Really good. "Stefan" Elena breathed, her head falling back against the mirror as Stefan continued to place kisses along her skin. "Stefan" she said again, digging her nails into the muscles on his back. "We … we have to stop" she told him in a halfhearted attempt.

Elena gasped when she felt her feet leave the ground as Stefan lifted her up, placing her eyelevel with him as he held her pressed against the mirror. Her arms were securely around his neck now, her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist to help hold her in place. "Why?" he asked her. Clearly she wanted him. She was practically melting into him.

"Because" she breathed, continuing to look at him. "I don't want our first time to be in a fitting room" she stated, a small smile forming at what she just said.

Stefan grinned. "So you admit that you want me?" he asked.

Elena rested her forehead against his, sighing. "Just take me home before I change my mind" she told him.

**A/N: A whole chapter of nothing but Stefan and Elena again. I think I am going to have to finish what Elena started in the fitting room in the next chapter, but I also want to bring some other characters back. But no worries, there will be plenty of Stefan and Elena : ) **


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: This took me forever to write! I had serious writer's block. But I pressed on and here is what I came up with! Thank you all for your patience and those lovely reviews! **

**Happy holidays to you all! Be safe! Anyone doing any snowboarding? I hope I will get a chance. Any exciting plans? I am going to spend Christmas morning with my horse so he can open his presents ;) **

**Oh, and happy birthday to Sparkleyangel! Thank you for your reviews and I hope you enjoyed your special day!**

Elena wasn't sure what exactly got thrown up on the counter and paid for, seeing as how Stefan was in such a hurry to get out of the store and the mall. She did know that the 45 minutes it took to drive back to the Boarding House was the longest 45 minutes of her life. His too probably. At every stoplight, he would curse under his breath when he would be forced to stop. She noticed he was going over the speed limit at certain points during their drive home as well. She rested her head against the window and thought about why she couldn't do this – be with him like that – even though she had practically told him she wanted him. He would hate her for changing her mind so suddenly. She reminded herself that it wasn't because she didn't want to be with him. It was because she couldn't.

Stefan skidded to a stop in the driveway and turned the car off. He grabbed all of the bags and made a quick run for the door to unlock it. He turned around, expecting Elena. But she wasn't there. She wasn't in the car anymore either. "Elena?" he asked, sticking his head out of the door. "Elena!" he called out.

Elena sucked in the cold air as she made her way down the trail that led to the barn. It had been dark the first time she had been down it, but she figured she was heading in the right direction. She could barely hear Stefan calling for her with the trees all around.

When she saw the barn come into view, she felt relieved. She wasn't a fan of the woods, having gotten lost once when she was younger on a camping trip. As she came into view, Cash threw his head up upon hearing her approach. His greeting sent Ben running from the other side of the barn to greet their visitor as well. Elena carefully crawled over the fence and into the pasture as the two furry animals came trotting her way.

Elena stared at them with determination to not run. Ben reached her first, his nose pushing on her hand, obviously looking for a treat. Cash approached her as well, nudging her arm. When Elena didn't move, they both stood there and looked at her. "He's not going to hurt me" Elena told them. Their ears flickered forward and Elena wondered if they knew what she was talking about. "I'm tired of waiting for him to hurt me" she added. It did nothing but bring her stress. But then again, it was her way of protecting herself. Derrick hadn't hurt her in the beginning either. He had gained her trust first.

Elena reached out and pet their noses. "You guys are kind of cute" she said, a small smile appearing. When she heard footsteps behind her, her smile faded. "I'm sorry" was all she said.

Stefan climbed the fence and jumped over, coming to stand beside her. "You don't look so terrified of them anymore" he said, giving Cash a pat on his face, knocking away some dried mud on his face.

"I know they won't hurt me" Elena replied, continuing to pet Ben.

"But you still don't believe that I won't" he said.

Elena could hear the disappointment in his voice. "Do you remember how I said that things were pretty good between me and Derrick in the beginning?" she asked.

Stefan glanced over at her and nodded. Though the mention of his name made him tense the muscles in his body. "Yeah" he told her.

"I didn't sleep with him right away" she said quickly. "I wanted to make sure he was the guy I was meant to be with. And when I finally thought that, and slept with him, everything changed" she said, taking a small shaky breath as she remembered everything that happened. "It's like he thought he owned me after that. And that's when he started getting angry. And jealous. And …" she said, not wanting to finish.

Stefan reached down and intertwined his fingers with hers. "You don't have to finish. I get it" he said. He had to admit that he was feeling like more of an ass the more he got to know her with all the pressuring and joking he was doing. He could see his breath as he spoke, reminding him that it was cold out. "Come on. Let's go back to the house" he said, turning to leave. He stopped when he realized that Elena wasn't coming.

Elena turned to look at him, continuing to hold his hand. She looked down at her feet, not finding the courage to look up at him. "I just don't want to be hurt again. Fake relationship or not, I don't think I could go through something like that again" she said quietly.

Stefan reached his hand up and touched her face, causing her to look up at him finally. "I would never hurt you like that" he spoke softly. Elena could see the sincerity in his eyes and she felt guilty for questioning it. "One day, maybe you'll trust me. When you're ready" he smiled, resting his forehead on hers. "Come on. Let's go inside" he tried again.

Again though, Elena didn't move. "I do" she said, causing him to stop. "Trust you, I mean" she explained quickly. "Because you're all I have right now" she added. She would have never told anyone that so soon. Especially not after the first relationship she was in. But she needed to be honest with him. And it was the honest truth. With her parents dead and her brother and best friend on the other side of the country, Stefan was literally the only constant person in her life right now.

His lips were on hers before she could process anything. Her body was pulled close to his, his arms around her. "See?" he asked her breathlessly. "I'm not so bad" he smiled.

Elena felt warmth fill her even though it was so cold out. "I could do worse" she agreed. Stefan leaned in to kiss her again, but she covered his mouth with her fingers. "I'm ready to go inside" she told him.

He simply nodded, grabbing her hand.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Where have you been?" Damon asked, not bothering to look up from his drink as he stared at the fire.

Katherine tossed her purse on the table. "Out" she answered defiantly.

"Out" Damon repeated with a sarcastic chuckle. "It's been four days" he reminded her.

Katherine seemed to ponder this for a moment. Then she dismissed it. "Where's Lily?" she asked.

Damon laughed. "Where is she always at during this time of the day?" Damon asked. Katherine's defiant look slipped away slowly as she took in his comment. "She's in bed" Damon reminded her. "Not that you would know since you're never the one to tuck her in" he added for spite. An angry expression appeared on Katherine's face as she turned on her heel to go upstairs. "Where are you going?" Damon asked as he caught her wrist.

Katherine yanked her hand away but it was no use. "To see Lily" she said through gritted teeth.

Damon shook his head. "No. If you wake her, she won't go back to sleep. And she has school tomorrow" he said on the verge of anger.

Katherine glared at him for a few moments before giving up. "Fine" she spat, yanking her arm away.

Again, Damon held on to her. "This has to stop Katherine" he warned sternly.

"Or what?" she challenged.

"Or I'm done" he replied, letting go of her arm and getting up. Katherine watched him with wide eyes as he left the room.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena stared at Stefan's bed as she heard the click of his door shutting behind them. This was it. This was her attempt at trusting him. But the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to run from that room and never look back. This was only going to complicate things between them. But she reminded herself of how her body reacted when he was so close to her. But it would make her vulnerable. But she wanted this. "No more buts" she whispered to herself. She could do this. It was going to be okay. Because it was Stefan. He was one of the good ones, she reminded herself. She hoped anyways.

His arms slowly snaking around her from behind brought her out of her distracting thoughts. "What are you thinking about?" he asked her quietly, resting his head against hers.

She shook her head. "Nothing" she said, turning to face him. She leaned in and kissed him, attempting to quiet both of their thoughts. When she pulled away, she walked towards his bed, trying to decide on how she should go about doing this. Clothes. She needed to get out of her clothes. Elena grabbed for the hem of her shirt and began to pull it over her head when Stefan stopped her. She turned slightly to look at him.

"I believe that is my job, when the time comes" he said with a silly smile that briefly made her forget about any anxiety that she was having.

"I just thought …" she began, though he was quick to cut her off.

"No more thinking" he said, pulling her close. Elena nodded, realizing that he was catching on to her hesitancy. Then, without warning, he spun them around and Elena felt herself falling on top of Stefan as he landed on his bed. "Just feeling" he added, his hands moving under her shirt as he reached up and kissed her.

Somehow, he ended up on top of her, but Elena couldn't remember when it had happened. They had been kissing lazily for quite a while now. It was nice. And he was an amazing kisser.

When his hands slipped under her shirt again, this time pulling it up slowly, Elena sat up some so he could remove it. She was relieved when he let her do the same to him so she wouldn't have to be the only shirtless person in this situation. He leaned back over her and began kissing her once again, enjoying the feeling of more of her skin against his.

The more time she spent in that bed with him, kissing him and touching him, the more her anxiety started to slip away. By the time every piece of clothing was off of both of them, a smile of her own appeared. Her skin tingled and the only relief was his touch.

When Stefan had first laid eyes on her, he had known that she had what it would take to pull off a lie. Not because she was a natural born liar, but because she was smart and passionate. What he hadn't seen initially, was how beautiful she truly was. He made a mental note of every part of her body that he thought was worth knowing. He also memorized her reaction to everything he did so that he would be better prepared the next time. And there would be a next time, based on that satisfied smile she had on her face.

Stefan leaned into her ear, kissing it softly a few times. "You're so beautiful" he whispered.

Elena's eyes shot open and her expression became guarded. "You … You don't have to say things like that" she told him.

He recognized that she was attempting to push him away yet again. Her eyes were looking everywhere but at him now. "Hey" he said, cupping her face gently. When she finally looked his way, he smiled. "I can say whatever I want to say" he told her. "You're beautiful" he repeated. This time, Elena didn't shy away. She looked into his eyes and decided that she believed him.

Elena felt herself smile at what she was about to say. "You were right, you know" she said. He raised an eyebrow at her. Of course he was right. But right about what? "I am enjoying myself in bed with you" she said.

Stefan smiled proudly. And he hadn't even gotten to the really good stuff yet. "You haven't seen nothing yet" he told her. Elena's eyes went wide with excitement and wonder right before she was lost in another one of his searing kisses.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena was still smiling when she awoke in the early morning. Stefan's arms were still wrapped securely around her, his chest pressed firmly against her back. Just the way he had been when they had drifted off to sleep.

A kiss pressed against the back of her neck let her know that he was awake. "Good morning" he said sleepily.

Elena smiled. "Morning" she said quietly.

She felt Stefan move her hair away from her neck and then he remained still for a moment. He was staring at a scar, about two inches long, on her upper back. He had found it the night before, but in their heated lovemaking session, he hadn't wanted to bring it up. "What's this from?" he asked quietly, tracing over the scar with his finger. Elena tensed upon feeling where he was touching her. "Did he do this?" Stefan asked quietly. All Elena could do was nod, remembering the counter she had been thrown into. The blood. The pain. The pleading.

Stefan kissed where the scar lay and pulled her closer. He knew that Elena wanted nothing more than to move on and forget about everything that Derrick had done to her. But Stefan couldn't help but wonder if Derrick had forgotten about her too. Was Derrick out there searching for her and planning on getting her back? Stefan had to know. And that meant finding Derrick.

**A/N: Uh oh. Is Elena going to like Stefan's plan to find Derrick? Then again, maybe he won't tell her …**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So, just another light chapter with a bit of cute fluffiness. Though, it is still important! Thank you all soooo much for the reviews! Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! How many more days before the return of The Vampire Diaries? Not many. I'm so nervous!**

**Anyhoo, please leave me a review and let me know what you thought : ) Thanks!**

Yes. Stefan was going to find Derrick and have him followed to see what he was up to. Because he was worried about Elena because he cared about her? No. He sat there for a moment, reminding himself that if anything happened to Elena, he would be out 12 million dollars and would have to start this whole scam over again.

Elena's movement brought him out of his thoughts. "I have to be to work in a little bit" she said, pulling on Stefan's arms to try and get herself free.

Stefan's arms locked and held her in place. His lips found the back of her neck once again. "Call in sick" he groaned, not seeing why either of them should have to get out of bed.

"Can't" she said, struggling hard to not let him know that her newfound weakness was him kissing that spot on her neck. "There's no one to cover for me" she added, attempting to sit up once again. Stefan let her this time.

But he didn't like it. Her working was becoming an inconvenience for him. "So what am I supposed to do all day while you're at work?" he asked.

Elena had to laugh at how pathetic he sounded. "What did you used to do before you married me?" she asked. Stefan smiled as he thought about all the women that kept him plenty busy during the day. Elena just rolled her eyes, getting the idea. "Never mind" she said, grabbing her underwear and his shirt from off of the floor and slipping them on.

Stefan propped himself up on his elbow and watched her as she bent down and picked up the rest of her clothes. "I could at least join you in the shower" he offered, a small grin appearing.

Elena shook her head no. "I'm just going to take a quick shower" she said. If she let him into the shower with her, she would never get to work.

Stefan frowned. "Well you could at least come and kiss me goodbye since I won't see you all day" he said, laying on the guilt.

Elena smiled. "You really are needy aren't you?" she asked, dropping her clothes in a pile and walking back over to the bed. She leaned over and went to give him a quick peck on the lips when his arms engulfed her, bringing her back down on the bed with him. She laughed, but he quickly covered her mouth with his.

When he finally broke their kiss, he made sure to kiss his way up towards her ear. "I'm extremely needy" he whispered as his hands trailed up underneath the shirt she had just put on.

Elena knew that she was in trouble when her eyes closed and she heard herself sigh. "You're going to get me fired" she told him.

"I'll take the blame" he told her, kissing his way back to her lips. Elena smiled as he kissed her cheek and then her nose. She had to admit, she would probably be late for the first time in her life.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena made it behind the counter with 30 seconds to spare as her fingers quickly tied the apron around herself. Her manager gave her a questioning look because Elena had always been at least 20 minutes early every time she was scheduled to work. Elena simply couldn't help but smile as she grabbed her pad of paper and pen and went to wait on a table.

The morning rush had finally cleared out after half an hour and Elena was thankful that she could stop and breathe for a minute. She looked up though when the bell over the door rang, indicating that someone was coming in. "Morning" he said brightly, taking a seat at the counter in front of Elena. "So are you going to read me the specials?" he asked, a smile beaming across his face.

Elena crossed her arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked, studying him closely.

"I missed you" he answered with a pretend sad look.

"It's been 30 minutes Stefan" Elena told him, giving up on trying to suppress the smile that had wanted to escape since the moment she saw him walk in.

"Is that all?" he asked her. "Feels like a lot longer than that" he said. Then he shrugged. "I guess sex does that to you though. Messes with your sense of time" he said casually.

Elena's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. "Stefan!" she scolded, looking around to see if anyone heard him.

"What?" he asked innocently. "You shouldn't be embarrassed to talk about our escapades in the bedroom" he continued. "We are amazing together. You can't deny it" he said freely. Elena wanted to duck behind the counter. He decided to have pity on her. "Okay, I am really here to have breakfast though" he said, flipping open the menu. Elena waited patiently for him to decide. "Alrighty. I will have the eggs and hash browns with a side of you naked" he said. Elena snapped the menu from his hands and turned to go and place his order. "Oh come on!" he called after her, smiling at the thought of her being so embarrassed.

Elena ignored him the entire fifteen minutes that it took to prepare his meal. The diner had practically cleared out with just the occasional person stopping in to grab coffee to go. Stefan watched Elena come up with tasks to keep herself busy so she wouldn't have to talk to him. He found it amusing.

When she placed his food in front of him, he frowned at the fact that she had simply reached over the counter instead of coming all the way around. So he took his fork and dropped it on the ground next to him. "Whoops" he said. Elena handed him a new one and glared at him as she walked around the counter to pick up the dirty one. And that was when Stefan grabbed her arms, pulling her close so he could kiss her.

Elena made herself pull away from him, almost angry at him for making her body react to him that way when clearly, they couldn't do anything more in that moment. "You dropped your fork on purpose" she said breathlessly, still wrapped in his arms.

Stefan smiled. "You caught me" he said, smacking her hip lightly. Elena pulled herself out of his arms and went back to the kitchen to wash her hands and the fork

. As she looked in the tiny mirror on the wall, she realized that she was smiling. And not the fake smile that she had perfected for so long. An actual real, genuine smile.

Stefan hurried and finished his breakfast, knowing he had business to take care of. He left her a normal tip, not too big, but not too small either with his bill. He left without saying goodbye since Elena hadn't returned from the kitchen.

When Elena came out to retrieve the bill, she found a folded up napkin included. She opened it up and read it quietly to herself. "I'll thank you more properly for breakfast when you get home this afternoon. Have a good rest of your day and see you soon." Elena folded up the napkin and placed it in her pocket. She shook her head and smiled as she cleared his dishes. Three o'clock couldn't come fast enough.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan quietly let himself into Damon and Katherine's house, taking in the exquisite décor that was surely a demand of Katherine's for moving there. "Miss me already?" he heard coming from the other end of the room as Katherine slipped out of the dark hallway and made her presence known. She was wearing a very thin black and red silk robe that really left nothing to the imagination. She sauntered up to him, poking his chest as she looked up at him through her long eyelashes.

Stefan smiled, grabbing her hand and moving her a step back from him. "I'm looking for my brother. He here?" Stefan asked.

Katherine smirked at his attempt to deny her. "Don't worry, Stefan. We can go somewhere else so Damon won't hear us" she said, cocking her head to the side as if inviting him to disagree with her.

Stefan smiled again. "You know Katherine, I might take you up on that offer" he told her, watching a glimmering spark light up her brown eyes. "But Elena kind of wore me out last night." Katherine's eyes turned dangerously dark, indicating that she no longer wished to play in this game with him. The thought of Stefan touching Elena made her insides lurch. Stefan smirked triumphantly as he walked passed her, briefly stopping to tell her one more thing. "And Elena sure isn't selfish when it comes to my needs in the bedroom" he added.

He could practically feel the steam seeping out of Katherine at his last comment. Stefan continued walking away from her on his original mission to find his brother. "She won't stay with you, Stefan" Katherine called out to him in her last ditch effort to get the last word in. "They never do" she reminded him.

Stefan forced himself to keep walking, to not let Katherine know how much her comment affected him. She was right though. They never did stick around long. He shook it off though. He had more important things to think about.

As Stefan approached his brother's study, he tapped on the door before letting himself in. Damon was at his desk, looking out his window as if he was reflecting on something. "What a pleasant surprise" Damon said, setting his pen down and turning to face Stefan.

"You know me, always full of surprises" Stefan said, taking a seat across the desk from Damon. "I'm here strictly on business though, so don't be fooled into thinking I actually want to have a brotherly bonding moment" he added.

Damon smiled, standing as he grabbed two glasses and a bottle of bourbon. He poured them both glasses before sitting back down. "And what can I help you with?" he asked.

Stefan grabbed his glass and swooshed the liquid around, but not taking a drink. "I need to get in touch with your friend, the private investigator" he said.

Damon raised his eyebrow. "She cheating on you already?" Damon asked with a smug look. "Though, is it really considered cheating if the marriage is fake?" he pondered.

Stefan felt his frustration building, but he reminded himself to keep calm. "I don't need Elena followed" Stefan assured him.

"Then who?" Damon questioned, taking a drink of his bourbon, finding this quite amusing that Stefan needed his help.

Stefan debated on what he should tell Damon. What could he trust him with? Stefan got a serious look on his face as he leaned over the desk. "What I tell you doesn't leave this room" Stefan said. He watched Damon's eyes narrow in understanding as he nodded. "I'm asking you for help as my brother. You owe me" Stefan told him. Again, Damon nodded his understanding. "I need Elena's ex followed" Stefan said. "The asshole beat her up while they were together and he promised to find her and kill her if she ever left him" he explained. Recognition of the seriousness of the situation ran over Damon's face. "I just want to know where he is and what he's up to" Stefan finished.

Damon thought about what Stefan said for a moment. "You don't want the PI" Damon told Stefan. "You want Brink."

"Brink?" Stefan asked, not familiar with the name.

"He makes unfortunate situations look like accidents" Damon explained. "He'll take care of him" Damon assured. Stefan shook his head. "Don't argue with me, Stefan. You know how I feel about hitting women. This guy is scum and he needs to be taken care of." This was probably the only thing that Stefan and Damon could agree on.

Again, Stefan shook his head no. "If anyone is going to kill him, it's going to be me" he stated, standing up from his chair and setting his untouched drink down. "Just get me in touch with the PI, Damon" Stefan told him, turning to leave.

Stefan let out a sigh of relief as he descended down the stairs. Luckily, Katherine was nowhere in sight. He quickly exited the house. Now all he could do was wait until Damon got him in touch with the investigator.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena kicked her boots off when she got in the house, throwing her bag on the nearby chair. "Stefan?" she asked, not seeing him or hearing him downstairs. Elena climbed the stairs in search of him. She didn't need to look far.

"Hi" he smiled, his hands behind his head as he leaned up against the headboard of his bed. He was shirtless with the sheets covering his lower half. She pretty much figured that he was naked.

"Hi" Elena replied, remaining where she was at the doorway. "How was your day?" she asked, continuing to eye the sheets he was under.

"It would be a lot better if you would leave the doorway and come over here" he told her, a suggestive smile tugging at his lips.

Elena looked around the room briefly before slowly making her way towards him. He grabbed her hand once she was close enough to him and intertwined their fingers. He looked her over, undressing her with his eyes. Elena felt herself blush, but she went on to get her jeans and top off before climbing into bed with him. She had definitely been right about him already being naked. His lips were on hers instantly as he rolled on top of her, pinning her down playfully. "Now I can thank you properly" he half whispered, half growled lowly in her ear, making her shiver slightly.

"You should probably let me shower" she responded, finding herself to be less than desirable after having waited tables for eight hours. Her hair was falling out of its ponytail and she was sure that she had sweated some too.

Stefan trailed his way down to her stomach, placing light kisses there. "You're just going to have to shower again when we're done. Might as well wait and we can take one together" he said against her skin.

He had a point she supposed. So she closed her eyes and let him take over for a little bit. "Stefan" she finally murmured, slowly giving in to sleep.

"Hmmm?" he asked, resting his chin on her stomach as he looked at her. But she was already asleep. He smiled, crawling his way back up to her and kissing her lips gently. "Goodnight, Elena" he whispered, kissing her forehead before laying down beside her and pulling her close. He too settled down into sleep.

**A/N: Alaric and Caroline will be visiting next chapter. If you remember, Caroline is clueless about the fake marriage, but Alaric is fully aware. So, Alaric is going to have some fun when he realizes that Stefan's feelings might be a little more real than Stefan had intended ; )**

**How many of you think that Damon can be trusted with this new information about Elena's past? **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Well, the consensus is that Damon seems to be sincere, but we should still remain cautious about his motives. I have to honestly say, I have not decided if Damon is sincere or not. I suppose when the times comes to write it, I will have to decide.**

**I've also had a request for a sort of flashback with Elena and Derrick. I just have to decide how I want it to be written. And I suppose we should all get to meet Derrick soon, yes?**

**Looks like I am going to be busy in the new year with this story. I have no idea how long it will be, but I definitely would love to write more stories in the future. You all give me such wonderful encouragement! So thank you for that.**

**Happy New Year everyone. 2012 = Stefan and Elena's year : )**

"Good. Remember to keep your heels down and breathe" he instructed as Elena trotted in medium-sized circles around him. "Keep your eyes on where you want to go, otherwise you're going to end up on your ass" he said, less than reassuringly.

"That makes me feel a lot better" she said sarcastically, tilting her heels down and taking a deep breath as she stared ahead. She gripped the reins tightly in her hands, reminding herself of how she was not quite comfortable with riding a horse just yet. But she was trotting and not falling off while doing it. It was a nice way to spend the rest of her Friday, seeing as how the first half was spent in Richmond attending classes. Fridays were always nice because of the shorter class schedule.

"Alright, let's call it a day" Stefan said, watching Elena bring the horse to a walk and come back towards him. "Not too bad" he said, patting the horse's neck.

Elena smiled proudly. "I'm getting there, slowly but surely" she told him.

"I was actually talking to the horse, but I suppose you didn't do so bad either" he smirked. That comment almost got him a swift kick in his chest, but he had caught her boot just in time. Stefan helped her out of the saddle and walked with her to tie up Ben. Once he was brushed out, Elena fed him a couple of treats and then let him loose with Cash in the pasture.

Elena smiled as the horses ran around. Stefan's arms came around her as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I'll make a cowgirl out of you yet" he told her.

Elena shook her head, wiggling her way out of his grasp. "We should get back and get the guest rooms prepared. What time are Caroline and Alaric arriving tomorrow?" she asked.

Stefan walked alongside her, taking in the view around him. "In the morning sometime. They are renting a car and driving from the airport" he answered. "Don't worry about their rooms. Caroline helps herself and Alaric is pretty low maintenance" he explained.

"They're your guests, Stefan. You should have everything ready for them" Elena told him.

"They'll be fine" Stefan said, waving her off. Elena slowed down out of annoyance as Stefan continued walking.

Elena was set to argue when they rounded the side of the house and encountered two unexpected guests. "Elena!" the little girl yelled, leaving her father's side and making a full run towards her, completely bypassing Stefan.

Elena forgot about her annoyance with Stefan and opened her arms, smiling brightly as Lily flung herself into her. "Hey!" Elena said cheerfully, hugging her close.

Damon walked up next to Stefan, who was still standing there, too perplexed by what had just happened. Since when did Lily pass up Stefan for anyone? "Looks like you've been replaced" Damon said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Looks like it" Stefan said. "Traitor!" Stefan yelled. Elena laughed before whispering something in Lily's ear. Elena set the little girl down on her own feet and watched as Lily ran towards Stefan, her arms reaching out for him. "What do you want?" Stefan asked, crossing his arms.

"You" she said sweetly.

Stefan gave in and picked her up. "You totally ran to Elena first" he reminded her.

"Because I love Elena. Just like you do" Lily explained. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

_Because I love Elena. _Stefan replayed what Lily said and realized that this whole fake marriage was going to have negative consequences too. Lily was getting attached to Elena. And Elena wasn't going to be around for much longer. _Just like you do._ Well, not quite, he thought. He didn't love her. But he was making Lily believe that he did. It was wrong, but maybe one day, she would understand. "Okay, I forgive you" Stefan said.

Elena finally made her way over. "Hi Damon" she said, attempting to be pleasant.

"Hi Elena" Damon replied in the exact fake way. "Stefan's had you out riding" he noticed, taking in her boots.

"Yeah, he's teaching me how to ride" Elena added, wondering how much longer she had to be in this conversation. Thankfully, Lily provided a distraction momentarily.

"Look, I got my nails done!" she said excitedly, holding her hands out for Elena to see the painted purple nails with sparkles.

Elena smiled. "Wow! Those are beautiful. Did you go with your mom to the salon?" Elena asked, hoping that Katherine had made an effort to spend time with Lily.

But Lily shook her head no. "Daddy went with me" she said, looking at Damon.

Damon shamelessly held up his perfectly manicured fingers. It took all Stefan could do not to burst out laughing. Elena found it really sad, yet completely adorable that Damon would spend the afternoon with his daughter, getting his nails done with her. "It was supposed to be our secret" he reminded Lily. She just smiled widely. "What's so funny?" he asked her. She shrugged, but continued to smile. "Stop smiling. Seriously, stop" he told her, trying to sound serious, but his laughter was breaking through as she continued to smile. Damon took her from Stefan's arms, flipping her upside down and poking her in the side. Lily erupted into a fit of laughter. Satisfied, Damon placed her back on her feet. She stuck her tongue out at him and hid behind Elena.

"Any particular reason you are dropping by?" Stefan questioned, growing tired of watching Damon and Lily. It still brought back hard feelings for him.

"I needed to talk to you" he said, his eyes telling Stefan it was important.

Stefan simply nodded. "Do you want to take her inside?" Stefan asked Elena.

Elena looked between the brothers and decided it would be best to take Lily inside. "Come on" she said, taking Lily's hand. Stefan gave Elena a reassuring smile.

As soon as the girls were in the house, Stefan and Damon began walking back towards the barn to ensure privacy. "So?" Stefan asked.

"I got in touch with the PI. I explained the situation. He's willing to come on board" Damon said.

This was what Stefan had been hoping to hear. "That's great!" he replied.

Damon shook his head. "His price is steep, Stefan" Damon said, kicking a rock out of his way.

Stefan shrugged. "I don't care" he said.

"What he's asking, Stefan. It's gonna top $30,000 a month" Damon continued, clearly not understanding why Stefan really didn't care. "To track him down and then to hang around to follow him …" he added.

"I don't care" Stefan repeated.

Damon stopped abruptly. "Why are you doing this, Stefan? She's just some girl" Damon said. Sure Damon didn't like what the guy had done, but he also knew that Stefan didn't just spend his money like that.

Stefan looked out towards the barn and watched the horses as he thought about what he wanted to say. "She's not just some girl" Stefan told him, finally turning to look at him. "She's my wife." Stefan felt the words catch in his throat. It was the first time he ever referred to her as his wife and felt something. What, he wasn't sure. But it was something.

Damon studied him for a moment, but let whatever challenging comment he was going to say, go. "I'll tell him to get in touch with you then" Damon said, turning around and heading back for the house.

Stefan remained where he was, trying the decipher the feelings that he was feeling in that very moment. He was a protector. Always had been, probably always would be. His feelings were nothing more than that.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Come on Lily" Damon said, grabbing her jacket from off of the back of the chair. "We have to get home."

Lily stood her ground, arms crossed and a defiant look on her face. "No" she said. "I want to stay here."

"Well you can't. Come on" he said, holding his hand out towards her.

Lily stomped her foot and shook her head. "No" she said again.

Damon looked to Stefan for help. "Lily, Elena and I have visitors coming in early tomorrow. How about you stay with us next weekend?" Stefan suggested.

Again, Lily shook her head. "Visitors?" Damon asked, wondering who they might be.

"Alaric and Caroline" Stefan said, focusing on the little girl once again.

"Caroline" Damon repeated, a look of interest appearing on his face that did not go unnoticed by Elena. Lily gave a frustrated sigh, clearly annoyed that they were ignoring her demands. "Next weekend, Lily" Damon told her.

Lily's face grew angry. "No. I'm staying here" she said, plopping herself down on the hardwood floor.

Elena looked between the two grown men to see how they were going to deal with the six year old. Both Damon and Stefan looked defeated. "Fine. You can stay until morning" Stefan gave in. A devious smile appeared from Lily as she celebrated her victory. Damon just shook his head.

"Just drop her off whenever" Damon said, waving his hand. "Bye Lily" he said.

Lily got up and ran to him, attaching herself to his leg. "Bye Daddy" she said, looking up at him. Damon bent down and kissed her head before leaving.

Stefan looked at Elena who just laughed before going upstairs to change. Lily was hot on her heels, asking her a million questions about anything she could think of.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan put the last dish away and then made his way upstairs. He stopped by Lily's room to see both Lily and Elena huddled under the covers with a book as Elena read. Lily's expression changed frequently, depending on how Elena was speaking. Sometimes laughter. Sometimes surprise. "The end" Elena finally said, shutting the book.

"Did the princess marry the prince because he had lots of money?" Lily asked.

Elena smiled, smoothing out her messy, curly hair. "No. She married him because she loved him" Elena assured her. She looked up and found Stefan standing just outside the doorway. "You better get to sleep" Elena told her, sliding out from underneath the covers and pulling them back over Lily. Stefan wandered in, sitting down opposite of Elena. "Good night, Lily" Elena said, kissing the top of her head. Elena made her way out of the room, leaving Stefan to say goodnight.

Stefan settled down next to Lily assessing the job that Elena did with tucking the little girl in and finding that Elena was a pro. "I really like Elena" Lily said, looking up at Stefan.

A pang of guilt hit him hard. Lily was going to be crushed when this was all over. "I really like her too" he said honestly.

Lily's eyes filled with sadness suddenly. "Uncle Stefan" she said.

Stefan grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. "What baby girl?" he asked.

Lily hesitated for a moment before answering. "I wish Elena was my mom."

Another pang of guilt. But this time, he had no control over it. He couldn't change who her mother was, no matter how much he wanted to. What was he supposed to say? That Katherine loved her? That he wished Elena was her mother too? No. He couldn't say any of those things. "You should get to sleep" he said, kissing her forehead. "Goodnight" he whispered, standing quietly and turning her nightlight on. Then he left her room, keeping the door open just slightly.

Stefan made his way back to his room and found Elena already in bed. She smiled at him which allowed him to smile, even though his heart still hurt some. He crawled in to bed, needing a distraction. He turned towards her, letting his hand slide along her stomach. He leaned over her, attempting to kiss her. "Stefan" she protested, catching his hand. Stefan moved on top of her, kissing her neck and pulling on her shirt. "Stefan, your niece is right down the hall" Elena reminded him.

"She's asleep" Stefan countered, sighing as he touched her.

Elena shook her head, pushing him off of her. "She could wake up" Elena said, fixing her shirt. Stefan groaned as he lay on his back, his eyes closed. "You'll survive" Elena said, resting her hand on his knee. She leaned over and turned her lamp off. "Goodnight" she said, turning to face away from him.

She felt Stefan wrap his arms around her, pulling her against him. "Elena?" he whispered. "I have one more condition for our agreement" he said softly.

"We already agreed upon the conditions of this marriage" Elena reminded him, just as quietly.

Stefan nodded. "I know. But I need one more really important one" he told her. Elena held her breath, wondering just what he was going to ask. She felt him squeeze her tighter. "After this is all over, I need to you still be a part of Lily's life" he said.

Elena was silent for a moment, but then she turned towards him and nodded. "Okay" she whispered, leaning in to kiss his lips softly. "Okay."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

The alarm that Elena had set went off at exactly eight the next morning, reminding her that she needed to get up and get ready since Alaric and Caroline would be arriving anytime now. She quickly showered, got dressed, and did her hair and makeup. Stefan hadn't even so much as flinched during this whole time. "Stefan, get up" she said, yanking the covers off of him. "Your friends will be here within the hour" she reminded. Stefan made some sort of painful moan before burying himself back under the covers. "Fine" Elena said, giving up and leaving.

She stopped by Lily's room, got her up, and took her downstairs for breakfast. Elena was sure that Lily was accustomed to a wide variety of breakfast items every morning, but with her lack of cooking skills, Elena was thankful that Lily accepted the bowl of cereal and sliced banana that Elena could prepare.

Stefan stumbled down the stairs a little later, still dressed in his sweats. "What's for breakfast?" he asked, plopping down next to Lily.

She held up a spoonful of cereal. "Cheerios and banana" she said, taking another bite.

"Works for me" he shrugged, grabbing for the box of cereal. Elena grabbed him a bowl and a spoon and walked it over to him. He caught her hand before she could escape back to the other side of the counter and pulled her in for a slow, though quick, kiss. "Morning" he said, just as his eyes opened again.

"Good morning" Elena said. She retreated back to where she was standing and finished her breakfast. "I was going to run to the store and pick up a few things. Anything in particular that Caroline and Alaric like?" she asked.

Stefan shrugged. "They invited themselves. They can feed themselves" he answered. Elena gave him a disapproving look before putting her dish away and leaving the kitchen. "Oops. I think she's mad at me now" Stefan said, smiling at Lily.

"You better make her not mad at you" Lily suggested, taking another spoonful of Cheerios into her mouth.

"What should I do?" Stefan asked. He figured asking advice from a six year old was probably better than asking advice from Alaric when he arrived.

Lily thought for a moment before answering. "Buy her something that costs a lot" she said finally. "Last time Mommy got mad at Daddy, he bought her a car and she stopped being mad at him" Lily shrugged.

"Huh" Stefan said, wondering how Katherine had gotten Damon to buy her a new car after she had only had the one before it for a month. "You done?" he asked, taking both of their bowls to the sink without waiting for Lily to reply. "Elena can take you home" he said, grabbing her off of her stool and heading upstairs with her to grab her things.

Elena tapped her foot as she waited by the door for Stefan and Lily. She heard them, well Lily, because she was laughing uncontrollably at something that Stefan had said. "Ready?" she asked Lily. Lily nodded her head sadly. "You'll be back next weekend. That's seven days. I'll pick up some new books and maybe you and I can ride the horses" she said, trying to get Lily excited about the following weekend.

It worked. "I'll show you how fast I can go!" Lily said as Stefan set her on her feet.

"Why don't you show Elena how fast you can run and race her to the car!" Stefan said and watched as Lily took off running out the door. He looked at Elena who still looked irritated. "Here's a list of some of the things they like. Caroline has to have this nasty nonfat no fat no calories tastes like crap coffee and organic tastes like cardboard crackers" he said, getting a small smile out of Elena because he clearly was not trying to be funny, but it was funny. "Alaric likes beer, the cheaper the better, and Pop-Tarts."

"Sounds easy enough" she said, slipping her jacket on. "Does Damon know I am on my way?" she asked, flipping her hair out of her jacket.

"I called him a few minutes ago. He's not home, but he said Katherine was" Stefan said reluctantly. "Use your best judgment. If you think she's drunk or too hung over, just bring Lily back" he sighed.

"Okay" she said, grabbing her purse. "I'll be back in half an hour" she said. Stefan nodded, watching her slip out the door and meet Lily at the car. He shut it and leaned against the door. A whole two days with Alaric and Caroline. In the same house. He may have forgotten to mention that Caroline and Alaric fought like cats and dogs.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Thankfully, Katherine was not drunk nor hung over, but just her regular bitchy self. Elena said her goodbyes to Lily and went on to the store for the items that Stefan had listed. She was in and out, grabbing a few things for herself and Stefan too.

As she rushed to get back, she realized that she was pretty excited to see Caroline and Alaric. They had both been kind to her and although Caroline was a little eccentric, she had a good heart and Elena respected her for that.

When Elena made it back, she grabbed the handful of grocery bags and struggled to get the front door open. When she finally got in, all she could hear was arguing. She brought the bags into the kitchen where she assumed the ruckus was coming from. She found Caroline and Alaric having a show down. Feet planted, arms crossed, and angry words coming out of their mouths.

Elena looked to Stefan for clarification. "Oh, right. Did I forget to mention how much they hate each other?" Stefan asked, downing the drink in his hand.

Caroline and Alaric turned to see Elena standing there. "Oh, hi Elena" Caroline said brightly.

Elena did her best to force a smile. "Hi Caroline. Alaric. Nice to see you both again" she said politely, setting the bags down. "Everything okay?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah, fine. If you consider fine to be driving a whole hour with this moron who drives as slow as his grandmother and listens to the same music as her!" she said, her bright and cheery smile turning into a deadly glare as she spat the words at him.

"Excuse me, didn't know we were supposed to drive like we were in a high-speed chase" Alaric spat back at her. "And I'm sorry I can't stand your gangsta rap crap that you insist is real music" he added. "So why don't you go and sit your spoiled ass down and think about how there are other people in this world to think about besides yourself."

Caroline's face turned red and her fists clenched shut. She desperately wanted to say something equally hurtful, but instead, she did what she always did. She went to Stefan for help. "Stefan!" she whined. "Are you going to let him talk to me like that?" she asked, crossing her arms and daring him to ignore what the ignorant ass before them had just said.

Stefan blinked, trying to decide on what the safest course of action would be. He opened his mouth to say something, then shut it. Then opened it up again. "Who wants lunch?" he asked.

Alaric and Caroline both glared at him, but Elena spoke up. "I have school work that I should finish up" Elena said, knowing it was a cheap shot at getting out of having to hang out with them. But she really could not stand to be in a room of warring people.

Stefan looked at her with disbelief. He frantically tried to think of a way that he could get out of having to be around Caroline and Alaric too. He couldn't use work as an excuse because they knew that Stefan never worked on the weekends. "You probably need some help" Stefan said, volunteering to go upstairs with her.

But Elena shook her head no. "I'll be fine. Besides, you'd probably like some time alone to spend with your friends. I'll only be a few hours" she assured him. She bid them all a quick goodbye, but not before catching Stefan's displeased look and giving him a small smirk as she disappeared. Elena could hear Alaric and Caroline back at each other's throats as she went up the stairs.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I am very happy to see that so many like Lily. I wasn't sure that I wanted to bring her into the story with dialogue, but she seems to have an effect on you guys so I think I made the right decision : )**

**A new year is upon us! Only a few more days until the show returns! I wanted to give you an update before then. Maybe I can even squeeze one more in!**

**Thank you for the reviews! I truly appreciate them.**

Thirty five minutes. That was how long Elena had been reading her statistics book before Stefan came barging through her door. She saw the frustrated look on his face. "I'm begging you, Elena" he said desperately. "Take Caroline and get her out of this house for a few hours before I kill both of them" he said collapsing on her bed, his eyes closing.

"I am supposed to be reading over this chapter so that I have some idea on how to do my homework for next week" she said.

Stefan grabbed the book out of her hands and tossed it further down the bed. "I aced my stats class. I can help you with your homework" he said, slowly crawling up her body, causing her to lower herself onto the bed. He kissed her lips eagerly. "I'll do anything you want if you just get her out of the house" he said, kissing her again.

Elena perked up some. Anything? "You can take me to the Ballet Friday evening" she said. Ever since she had seen the flyer around her school campus, she had been dying to go. She had never been before.

Stefan remembered that he had said anything and therefore, he couldn't groan out of his distaste for the arts. "I'll take you to the Ballet" he said, kissing her lips one last time to seal the deal.

Elena smiled happily which made him want to smile. He wasn't used to women being so happy over something as simple as going to watch dancing. He supposed that's what made her so different. Aside from not using his money left and right, the smaller things in life made her happy. It was a nice change of pace for him.

She looked up at him curiously. "Would you have agreed to go with me if you weren't so desperate right now?" she asked.

Stefan smiled. "Of course" he lied.

Elena frowned, but failed miserably at keeping it. A smile broke through. "You're such a liar" she said, pushing against his chest as she sat up.

He remained face to face with her. "Already accusing me of lying" he said, shaking his head. "That hurts Elena. We've only been married for a few weeks" he said, feigning his hurt.

Elena smiled. "I don't think any less of you, Stefan" she told him. He raised his eyebrow at her. "We're both liars, right?" she asked, moving off of the bed to grab a brush. She quickly worked through her hair as he watched her. She was right. They were both liars. And if she wasn't one before, he had made her one. Elena looked in her mirror and saw that Stefan was looking at her. "What?" she asked, suddenly self-conscious of herself. She didn't know why. She had no reason to impress him.

He shook his head. "Nothing" he said, jumping up off her bed. "Take Caroline for lunch. She likes food" he said, leaving her room. Lunch. She could do that.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"So you work here?" Caroline asked as they walked into The Grill. Elena nodded, pointing out a booth towards the back. "This is so cool! I have a friend who is a waiter at a small bistro in the city" she said, continuing to look around. Elena sat down first, followed by Caroline who was still mesmerized by the place. Why, Elena had no idea.

The waitress came by, bringing water and asking for drink orders. "Are you one of Elena's friends?" Caroline asked exuberantly.

The waitress looked at Elena questionably. "We work together, Caroline. This is Melanie" she said, introducing her.

Caroline's face beamed with excitement at learning the girl's name. "I'm Caroline Forbes" she said, extending her hand. Melanie took it awkwardly before taking their lunch orders as well. When Melanie left, Caroline continued to be her chatty self until their food arrived. "So how are the newlyweds?" she asked, taking a sip of her tea.

Elena smiled shyly. "We're good" she answered.

"I knew you would be" Caroline said. "Because when Stefan falls in love, he loves with everything he has. He'd do anything for you, you know."

Elena held on to what Caroline had just said for a moment, trying to figure out if she believed that or not. Then she realized that it didn't matter. Because in a few months, they would go their separate ways. What she would let herself believe though, was that Stefan was a great guy and that he would make some girl really happy one day. Because that was the right thing to think. "I'd do anything for him, too" she admitted. It wasn't really a lie, either.

Elena noticed that Caroline looked like she was getting teary eyed. "That makes me really happy to hear. After what happened with …" she began, but then quickly cut herself off.

Elena reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "He told me what happened with Katherine. Damon. Lily. Everything" she said quietly.

Caroline nodded. "He was so crushed. He wanted Lily more than anything" Caroline said, dabbing at her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket. Then she looked seriously at Elena. "Just promise me you won't hurt him like she did" Caroline said, tightening her hand around Elena's.

Elena swallowed hard, but forced herself to nod. She and Stefan had no way to hurt one another because what they had was strictly a business arrangement. With sex thrown in. But she figured that was just to keep the physical tension at bay. "I don't want to hurt him" she said quietly.

Caroline smiled. "I guess I shouldn't be sitting here thinking that you're the lucky one" she told Elena. "Because clearly, he's the lucky one to have found you." Elena couldn't think of any other response but a smile. She was thankful when the food came and Caroline went back to bouncing from topic to topic.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan and Alaric sat out back on the deck, a drink in one hand, and a hand of cards in the other. A casual, relaxed game of poker was in order. "So how are things going with Elena?' Alaric asked.

Stefan nodded, discarding two cards. "Good."

Alaric nodded. "I can assume that she still won't have sex with you?" he asked, discarding one card.

To this, Stefan just laughed. "Oh, we've slept together" he answered, tossing in a few chips. Alaric raised his eyebrow out of surprise. "I told you. All I had to do was get her into bed once. Now, it's effortless" he said, watching Alaric add a few chips in. Both nodded and laid down their cards. Stefan smiled. "You're losing your touch."

Alaric muttered a few words under his breath before taking the cards and shuffling them. "See, I don't think it was like that" Alaric challenged. Stefan took a sip of his drink, eyeing him closely. "We both know it's different with Elena" he said.

"And what makes you think that?" Stefan asked, keeping his cards on the table.

"You are falling in love with her" Alaric said, a knowing expression coloring his face. He watched Stefan's face tighten before his eyes lost contact with Alaric.

"You're crazy" Stefan said, picking up his cards. "She's just some girl that's going to help me get rich" he stated.

Alaric picked up his own cards and examined them. "Okay, fine. Tell me this. If Elena needed life-saving surgery and it was going to cost 12 million dollars, would you let her die so you could keep your money?" he asked.

Stefan glared at him. "What the hell kind of surgery costs 12 million dollars?" he challenged.

"Just answer the question" Alaric said pointedly.

Stefan threw his cards down in frustration. "Well I'm not a total heartless bastard!" he said loudly. "So yes, I would use my 12 million to pay for her life-serving surgery." To be honest, the situation was sort of similar to the present. Him paying large sums of money for a PI to follow Derrick so Elena would be safe.

Alaric smirked. "You are totally falling in love with her. And not just because you would pay all that money to save her life. But because you are getting so defensive" he explained. "You totally are falling in love with her" he laughed.

Stefan stood up abruptly, set to argue. "You don't know what you're talking about. I don't love Elena. And I'm never going to!" he spat at him.

Alaric stopped Stefan before he could storm off. "Don't be all angry, Stefan" he said. "She's a nice girl. I say it's about time you let yourself be happy" he shrugged.

"The only one I have to keep happy is Elena. So she doesn't take off before the six months are up. I do not want her to stick around for longer than that. Got it?" he asked with an edge to his voice. He then stormed off, wishing he had gone with Caroline instead. At least she would only tease him, something that was safe and wouldn't get his feelings all jumbled.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan didn't know how long he had been laying down in his room. At least an hour when his phone began to ring. "Hello?" he asked.

"Stefan Salvatore?" the voice asked.

Stefan sat up immediately. "Speaking" he said, listening closely.

"This is Sampson, the private investigator. Your brother contacted me and told me you were interested in my services and to contact you" he informed.

"That's right" Stefan answered. "How soon can you start?" he asked, tightening his grip on the phone.

"I've already started" Sampson replied. Stefan was a bit surprised by this bit of news. He hadn't even paid him. "Your brother gave me the down payment. He said you would take care of the rest."

To say Stefan was surprised was an understatement. Surely Damon had an ulterior motive. "I will" Stefan assured him. "Have you found anything yet?" he asked cautiously.

"No. I'm working on locating Derrick at the moment. From there, I will track him. Tap his phone lines if I can. Find out where he frequents, who he is with. I will collect as much information as I can" he informed. Stefan nodded. "I will contact you as soon as I find something" he said.

"I appreciate it" Stefan said. And then the line went dead. Stefan set his phone down and closed his eyes. Now it was just a waiting game. And Stefan hated waiting.

His bedroom door pushed open and he could hear her footsteps cross the floor to him. "Alaric said you were up here hiding" Elena said, sitting down on the bed next to him.

"I'm not hiding" he said, opening his eyes and looking at her.

"What's wrong?" she asked. When Stefan didn't answer her, she turned and lay down beside him, using his arm as a makeshift pillow. "Friends pry into your life because they care" she mentioned quietly. Stefan wondered what exactly Alaric had said to her. "We all get irritated with our friends once in a while."

"You and Bonnie?" Stefan questioned, catching Elena off guard. He had remembered her name.

But Elena quickly recovered and laughed. "Especially me and Bonnie. And girls are the worst because half the time, we won't let the other one know that we're irritated. And that just makes everything worse" she told him.

"Did you tell them about me?" he asked quietly.

Elena was again caught off guard, but she answered him. "No" she said. There was a long pause before she continued. "They wouldn't understand. I just thought it would be better …" she began, only to be cut off by him.

"I want to meet them" he blurted out quietly. "You know everyone I'm close to. I want to meet the people you are close to" he told her.

Elena sat up. "Why?" she asked, concern coloring her voice. It would just lead to problems.

"Because" he said, leaving it at that. Elena blew a breath out, clearly uncomfortable with the idea. "What, are you embarrassed for them to meet me?" he asked, a small smile appearing as he tried to lighten the mood some. Elena remained silent and Stefan guessed what was running through her mind. "You didn't tell them about me, did you?" he asked.

"They wouldn't agree with what I've done. And my brother would blame you and he's not a whole lot of fun when he thinks someone is using me" she explained.

"We don't have to tell them about our arrangement" Stefan said, sitting up. He really wasn't quite sure why he wanted to meet them. Maybe it was partly because Elena was so against the idea. "They can come stay with us. You talk it over with them and see what their schedule looks like."

Elena sighed. She missed her brother and her friend terribly. But she also knew that it would be disastrous for them to know about Stefan. But he was persistent and if she had learned anything about him, it was that he always got what he wanted. "Fine" she said. "But if he punches you, you can't say I didn't warn you."

Stefan smiled. "They will love me" he said, wrapping his arms around her. "This might throw people off of our trail too, you know. Bringing your family to visit" he added.

Elena hadn't thought about it like that. "We should get back to your friends" she said, pulling his arms off of her.

Stefan groaned. "Would it be impolite to tell them to get a hotel? Or better yet, go home?" he asked, standing with Elena and facing her. She shook her head, hiding her smile. They heard Caroline yelling from down the hall, followed by a loud shatter. Stefan sighed heavily and rested his forehead against Elena's. "That sounded expensive" he whispered.

"Let's just hope that it didn't shatter against Alaric" she grinned, tilting her head some to kiss him. "Come on. Before she breaks something else." Elena grabbed his hand, leading him out.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They had survived the night with Caroline and Alaric by keeping the conversation light. Dinner was peaceful and Caroline had even apologized for trying to hit Alaric with a glass vase. Then they had stayed up late watching a movie and playing cards. By the time they drug their feet up the stairs and into their rooms, Stefan was asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow.

An hour later, his phone began buzzing on his nightstand. He cursed under his breath, smacking his hand against the surface, trying to find it. Elena began to stir as Stefan grabbed the phone and checked the number. His heartbeat jumped from its resting state and began beating rapidly at the sight of the number flashing across his screen. "Stefan?" Elena murmured, opening her tired eyes.

"Just someone from the company. Go back to bed" he whispered, kissing her forehead and tiredly crawling out of bed. He shut the door behind him and answered. "Hello?"

"Stefan. This is Sampson. I am calling with an update" he said.

Already? Stefan couldn't believe it. A million questions came to mind. "Did you find him? Is he looking for Elena?" he spit out in a quiet, hurried tone.

The line went silent for a moment, though it seemed like minutes to Stefan. "He's found her."

**A/N: Thoughts? Reactions? Yay for cliffhangers!**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Ahhh! Are you all still alive after yesterday's episode? We can do a group therapy session if we need to : ) **

**I realized that I needed to update to hold you off for the weekend. Plenty of Stefan/Elena stuff. **

**However, WARNING! There is a dark flashback scene in this update. It is in italics, so you can skip it if you'd like.**

**Thank you all for the reviews and messages! You all rock!**

Stefan felt his heart pound so hard against his chest that he thought it would break through. Stefan's plan had never included Derrick finding Elena. He had planned on keeping him from finding her. "What … how … why hasn't he grabbed her or something yet?" Stefan stuttered, forcing his question out.

"He's being cautious. He knows about you, Stefan. He knows that she has people around her now, that she's not on her own. But he's been at her school campus. And he's been to Mystic Falls" he explained. "That's all I know right now. But I have a feeling his stalking isn't for nothing. I think he's going to try something" Sampson said.

"So what do we do?" Stefan asked, almost frantically. "Call the police?" he suggested.

"No" Sampson said, shooting his idea down immediately. "Derrick's uncle is a police chief in the state. Nothing's going to stick and it will only put Elena in more danger."

Danger. Stefan was well aware that Elena was in danger, but hearing someone else say it made it more real. "What do I do then?" Stefan asked, changing it from everyone's responsibility to his own.

"You keep Elena within eyesight. If you can't be with her at some point, find someone who can. We have to wait him out. The more we learn about him, the better prepared we will be to create a plan" Sampson said. "I'm sorry for calling so early, but I wanted to get you up to speed. I'll be in touch soon."

Before Stefan could reply, the phone went dead. Stefan pulled it away from his ear for a moment and just stared at it. How could he have been so stupid to let her go to school by herself? Or work? And now, there wasn't a thing he could do but wait. More waiting.

Stefan quietly let himself back into his bed, careful not to wake her again. He faced her, watching as she breathed in and out slowly, nothing bothering her. He brushed a loose, tangled strand of hair out of her face, placing it behind her shoulder. He imagined her face, occupied with bruises. How scared she must have been right before it happened. How hard she must have lied when people noticed.

He watched her for another hour before sleep overcame him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Good morning!" Caroline sang, coming into their room with a tray filled with coffee and muffins. Stefan and Elena both shot up out of surprise, rubbing their tired eyes. Caroline stopped halfway inside the room, becoming hesitant. "You two aren't naked, are you?" she asked cautiously.

"No" Elena answered, turning to look at Stefan who seemed to give her an apologetic expression.

"Good" Caroline smiled, bringing the tray to them. "So I thought since today was our last day here, we could all take the horses out for a ride" she suggested.

"Sure Caroline" Stefan said, taking a sip of his coffee. He grimaced at the taste of her fancy, good-for-you coffee.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "I'll go wake Alaric and tell him to get ready!" she said, bounding out of the room and down the hall.

"So horseback riding?" Stefan asked Elena, turning towards her.

"Sounds good. But we only have two horses" she mentioned.

"We can ride double" he informed her, taking a bite out of a muffin. "And these are really good" he said. He pulled off a piece and fed it to her before kissing her. He felt the need to be romantic all of a sudden. Caroline's cautious question about whether or not they were naked was fresh in his mind.

"Stefan" she mumbled, pushing against his chest. "We have guests" she reminded. Stefan either did not hear her or was ignoring her. She figured it was the latter when she watched him move his coffee to the nightstand. Elena quickly moved hers over as well, figuring the muffins could fend for themselves on the bed. "They could walk in" Elena said, somewhat protesting when his lips left hers and began sucking lightly on her collarbone. "Let's move this into the shower" she suggested, knowing it was too late to back out now. Her body was already craving his.

She felt her body being lifted from the bed as they stumbled towards the bathroom. His focus never left her and before she knew it, hot water was pouring and steam was surfacing around her. She took her own clothes off, trying to speed up the process. When he pushed her backwards into the shower, she shrieked as the hot water turned quickly to cold. Stefan pulled her against him at the far end of the shower, trying to get away from the water. She was shivering against him, so he quickly reached over and adjusted the water until it was warm again. "Sorry" he smiled, pulling her back to him.

She smiled as he leaned in to kiss her. They both heard the bathroom door fly open. "Elena?" Alaric asked frantically.

"Get out!" Stefan and Elena both screamed, jumping apart from one another.

"I heard you scream!" Alaric yelled back at them.

"She's fine, get out!" Stefan yelled. Alaric didn't hesitate to shut the door behind him. Stefan smiled apologetically as he approached her again, cupping her face and kissing her softly. "No more guests. Ever" he said, leaning his forehead against hers.

"Your niece is coming next weekend" Elena reminded.

He pushed her against the wall, kissing his way down her chest. "I'll buy her something expensive. She won't even remember she wants to come over" Stefan mumbled against her skin.

Elena closed her eyes and tilted her head back. "You're terrible" she breathed out.

"So terrible" he agreed, not really caring when he had a naked girl in front of him. He didn't really care about anything at the moment. She was a good – very good – distraction.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When Elena and Stefan returned downstairs, giggling and laughing about their escapades upstairs moments earlier, they were met with two pairs of grins. "Hey you two" Alaric said, eyeing them both.

Elena blushed from embarrassment, realizing that both knew what had gone on between her and Stefan upstairs. Stefan, clearly not embarrassed, slipped his arm around her, pulling her close. "Hi" Stefan grinned, addressing his friends. "You two ready?" he asked.

"Yeah, about that. I think I'll skip out on the horse thing" Alaric said. He focused his attention on Elena briefly. "It's not really my thing" he added.

Elena nodded in understanding. "I think I'll stay with Alaric. You and Caroline can hang out" Elena suggested, bumping into Stefan lightly.

"I would love your company, Elena" Alaric said, smiling.

"Alright then, come on Care" Stefan said, grabbing his jacket. "You" he said, pointing his finger at Alaric. "Keep your hands off my wife" he warned. "Bye" he added, placing his hand on Elena's hip and kissing her cheek.

Elena waited until she heard them leave before turning to Alaric. "So, what would you like to do?" she asked.

Alaric pretended to think long and hard about what he wanted to do. "Let's talk" he said, moving to sit on the couch. Elena took the seat across from him while he propped his feet up. "So, how are things going?" he asked.

Elena crossed her legs and stared at him. "Fine" she replied. "He's still alive, isn't he?" she grinned.

"Yes, yes he is" Alaric laughed. "You seem happy" he noted. "How many more months?"

"In another week, four months" Elena answered him. "And then Stefan will be rid of me and can get on with his life" she added, realizing that it came out with some bitterness that she couldn't help.

"See, I don't think he will get rid of you" Alaric said, shaking his head. Elena's look warned him that he was treading on dangerous waters. This was a business deal between the two of them with no room for others to weigh in. "Stefan is falling hard for you, Elena. He doesn't act this way with all the other girls he's seen. Well, except Katherine."

Elena swallowed the lump in her throat. He was in love with Katherine. And he was treating Elena the same way he treated her? Elena shook her head. "You're wrong" she said, looking him straight in the eyes. "I'm a means to an end" she said, never once having thought of herself as anything more to Stefan. Because it was dangerous to.

Alaric shook his head this time. "I hope you really don't believe that" he told her. "Look at the way he acts around you. He's happy. Something I haven't seen in a really long time. He may not realize it just yet, but he needs you" Alaric said, somewhat sadly. "Maybe in the next few months, you'll realize that you need him too" he said.

Elena thought good and hard about what Alaric said. "Did he tell you that he's in love with me?" she asked finally. It was a question that she really didn't want an answer to, but needed an answer to.

"No" Alaric said. "He denied it. Got really mad which is why you found him in his room pouting" he added. "Are you in love with him?" he asked.

Elena's eyes grew slightly wide with shock that he would ask such a thing. She wanted this conversation to end, but at the same time, she didn't. She needed someone to talk to about these feelings she felt and it couldn't be Stefan. "I care about him" Elena answered, avoiding eye-contact with Alaric now.

"Are you falling in love with him?" he asked, adjusting his question slightly.

Elena bit her lip, hating what she was about to say. "Yes" she answered. "And I'm terrified" she admitted.

"That he'll hurt you?" Alaric asked.

Elena shook her head. "That I'll hurt him" she answered.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Caroline pulled up on her horse, laughing as she saw Stefan coming up behind her. "Don't tell me you let me win" Caroline smiled.

Stefan smiled back. "I wasn't even trying" he shrugged. Caroline rolled her eyes and set into an easy walk next to him.

"It's beautiful up here" she said, looking out over the river. "Have you taken Elena up here yet?" she asked.

"Nope. Not sure she's quite ready for this ride yet" he said, guiding his horse over a fallen log.

"You underestimate her" Caroline said, following his lead. "She's perfect for you, you know" she added.

"Yeah?" Stefan asked, quite amused seeing as how he'd be divorcing her in four months or so.

"She doesn't put up with your shit" Caroline said. This made Stefan smile because it was true, especially in the beginning. "And she loves you for you. Not your money. That's a first" she added. "Oh, and she wants Katherine dead just as much as I do" she added.

"She said that?" Stefan asked, raising an eyebrow.

Caroline shrugged. "Well, she didn't have to. Her eyes told me everything I needed to know when we talked about what Katherine did" she said matter of factly. Stefan shook his head, not believing her for a minute. "Did too! She was pissed at Katherine, yet you could tell that she just wanted to hold you and make everything better."

"You read into things too much, Care" he told her. "But I love you anyways."

"What a nice way to end an insult" she said, smacking his arm with the end of her reigns. Stefan chuckled as he kick his horse forward, leaving her behind. Caroline went chasing after him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

After a long day and an even longer weekend, Stefan felt relieved when he climbed into his bed. His friends headed back to the airport. Elena was finishing up some reading. And he was ready for sleep. Stefan was out before he knew it.

Elena stifled another yawn as she flipped through her book. As much as she enjoyed having Stefan's friends over for the weekend, she was glad they were gone because she was exhausted. She read another page and yawned again. It was useless. She was too tired to read anymore and really wasn't retaining any of the information anyways. Sighing, Elena tossed her book on the floor and quietly made her way down the hall to Stefan's room. She could tell right away that he was sleeping. Carefully so as not to wake him, she climbed under the covers and faced him. It was hard to admit to someone that she was falling for him. How could she not be? He was her knight in shining armor. He would protect her, keep her safe. He took care of her. And most importantly, he hadn't hurt her. But this fairytale life she was living – the one with the money, the sexy guy, and the large house, was only temporary. In four months, she would have to go back out into the real world and find her own way. Even with one million dollars, she knew it was going to still be a challenge. Especially with Derrick still out there.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_She wore a smile as she walked through the door, setting her bag down and looking for him. She was excited to tell him about class and how she had received full credit on the presentation she had been stressing about for a few weeks. "Hey" she said, finding him in his chair._

"_Where were you?" he asked, checking his watch. She was late._

_Elena frowned. He had been drinking. She could tell by his tone. "I told you" Elena said, remaining behind him. "I stopped to get dinner with the girls in my presentation group" she told him._

_There was a low chuckle coming out of him, right before he stood up quickly, turning to face her. "Don't lie to me" he warned, staring her down into submission._

_Elena took a step back, watching him carefully. "I'm not lying" she told him, less confidently than before._

_His eyes grew darker as he rushed towards her. She knew it would be pointless to run. He would catch her and hopefully by remaining where she was, he would go easy on her. He grabbed for her throat, shoving her back into the wall behind her. "Don't lie to me!" he screamed into her face._

_Elena gasped as his fingers began tightening around her throat. She could smell the alcohol on his breath. "You're hurting me" she choked out as tears began to well up in her eyes. But she didn't try and fight him. She had learned that it only made things worse. He was stronger than her._

_Another low chuckle erupted from him. "I'm hurting you, huh?" he asked her. "I told you I don't like liars!" he suddenly yelled, slamming the back of her head into the wall. The tears sprung out of Elena's eyes from the impact. Her head was pounding, her heart racing. Her throat swelling. Maybe this would be it. Maybe this time, he would finally kill her. "Who were you with?" he asked, his anger increasing._

"_Sarah and Meghan" she cried, choking from the lack of air. "I … I can't … breathe" she gasped, desperate for air._

_Still, his fingers enclosed tighter around her throat. "How's that my problem?" he asked, searching her eyes to see how fast she was fading. He knew what he was doing. He would bring her to the brink of death, just to make her see what he could do – that he owned her and he got to decide if she lived or died, and then he would back off, letting her live. "I'm not the lying little slut" he reminded her. Elena closed her eyes, deciding she didn't want to be looking at him as she died. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. But just as she felt things going dark, his fingers left her throat and she fell to the ground, gasping for air and coughing as she did. He grabbed her hair and tilted her head back to look up at him. "You had best remember who is in control here" he said coldly, throwing her head to the side before walking away._

_Elena lay on the floor and listened to his footsteps disappear. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing, willing herself to calm down. She wanted out. She knew there would only be one way to escape him for good. Kill herself. Before he killed her. Elena moved her shaky hand to the back of her head, wanting to survey the damage of her pounding head. She felt something all too familiar and quickly brought her hand back to see the sticky warm red blood coating her fingers. He would never take her to the hospital. She had to fix herself._

_Elena slowly began crawling across the hard floor towards the bathroom, stopping frequently to curb the dizziness that overcame her. When she did finally reach the bathroom, she grabbed for a wet towel and applied pressure to the back of her head. The damage to her throat was probably pretty bad too, but she was too weak to stand up and look in the mirror. So, she lay down on the bathroom floor, locking the door, and listening to the dripping facet. _

Elena gasped as she tried to catch her breath. She realized that she was crying. She sat up, surveying her environment. It was dark. Her heart was beating so fast it was almost painful. "Elena?" a sleepy voice asked, moving towards her. A hand touched her.

"No!" she screamed, moving away from the person. She began tossing the covers off of herself in an effort to get away.

"Elena!" the voice said frantically, more awake now. She felt a pair of hands grab her arms, restraining her. She was trapped. It was no use. She couldn't fight back. Because he would hurt her even more than he was planning to.

"Please stop, let me go!" she cried, remaining frozen. She heard some shuffling of sheets and then a bright light turned on. Reality hit her hard when she saw Stefan's worried face staring back at her. Her breathing became uneven as she realized that she had had a nightmare. "Stefan?" she asked, not bothering to wipe at the many tears that fell down her cheeks.

Stefan pulled her into his arms, holding her close. He could feel her heart beating quickly against his chest. It almost matched his own. "You're okay. It's okay" he said softly, kissing her hair. "I'm right here" he whispered. He wanted to tell her that it was just a nightmare, until he remembered that she had actually lived through it.

Elena clung to him like her life depended on it. She couldn't remember the last time she woke up this way. It had been a while. "I'm sorry" she said, her crying still present but much quieter.

"You have nothing to be sorry for" he said, hugging her tighter to him. As he listened to her cry, Stefan realized that even if Derrick wasn't near her, he could still hurt her. Torture her. Through her dreams and his lingering promise to kill her. Keeping tabs on Derrick wasn't enough anymore. Derrick needed to die.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I am SOOO sorry for the wait. I had a major case of writer's block. And this most recent episode did not help! But, I got it done and I hope it turned out okay.**

**Thank you so much for your reviews. I try and post before I go to bed so I can wake up and read the reviews! A perfect way to start out my day before work! So thank you for brightening my day.**

**P.S. I like my Stefan better right now haha. But, was tonight not proof that Nina and Paul have chemistry no matter what is happening in a scene? Holy wow! I have so much respect for those two as actors. It really isn't fair to the other shows to have two leading characters own every scene.**

**Also, I am thinking about writing a little one-shot this weekend. So, be on the lookout for it!**

Her sobs eventually subsided and her breathing returned to somewhat normal. Her mind raced though as her brain worked to restore her thoughts to safe mode. Because she is safe at the moment. His arms were still around her and his hand was slowly stroking her back. It was calming. She rested against him, her cheek pressed against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

It was familiar, this safety she felt. Yet it was distant, too. Before her parents were taken from her, she had felt safe. Her mother had the answers to everything. Her father would have never let anything happen to her. And then along came Derrick who dissolved her safety and instilled fear. Even years later, she still operated in fear mode. She didn't date other men because she feared they would hurt her. She was cautious about where she was and who she was with, because Derrick could be lurking close by.

Elena never thought safety was possible after having met Derrick. But at this very moment, with his strong arms locked securely around her and his steady heartbeat present, she knew she did not just feel safe. She was safe. And it felt amazing. So amazing that she wanted to stay like this forever.

But she pulled away, embarrassed by the way she was seeking safety by clinging to him and crying. He gave her a weak smile though, his exhaustion showing all over his face. "Think you can go back to sleep?" he asked her quietly.

Elena shrugged slightly. "I don't know" she answered honestly. After a nightmare, she usually did not let herself go back to sleep. "I'm going to go downstairs and get a glass of water" she said instead.

"I'll get it" he offered, but she grabbed his arm to stop him.

"It's okay. I can get it" she said, crawling out of the bed. She turned back to him briefly. "You should try and get back to sleep" she told him. There was no sense in both of them staying up.

He watched her quietly leave the room before he lay back down. Although he was tired, his thoughts were keeping him from going back to sleep. Thoughts about her safety. He hadn't told Elena about hiring someone to find Derrick to prevent her from stressing out. But maybe it was necessary to tell her now to prevent harm. Now that Derrick knew where she was, Elena needed to know that he was around and she needed to be on the lookout. It broke his heart though. She didn't need to live in this immediate fear. Stefan ran his hands over his face in frustration before sitting back up and heading downstairs.

"Elena" he said, rounding the corner to the kitchen and surprising her. Elena jumped, dropping the glass on the floor and watching it shatter into a million pieces.

Her face went from surprise to regret at what she had just done. "I'm sorry" she said quickly, kneeling down and beginning to pick up the pieces.

It took Stefan a moment to move. He was still locked in on how sorry she was for accidently dropping a glass. A materialistic item. Something that could be replaced. "Elena don't" Stefan said, moving towards her, grabbing her wrists and stopping her. He shook the glass free from her hands. "You'll cut yourself" he said, standing her up and moving her around the kitchen.

"I'm sorry" she repeated, almost as if she were on autopilot. As if it was her coping mechanism. Just apologize and hope for the best.

Stefan stopped her at the sink and checked over her hands. They appeared to be okay. "It was an accident, Elena" he told her, searching her eyes. "It's no big deal" he said, tucking her hair behind her ear. She held his gaze for a long moment before slowly nodding. He grabbed her a new glass of water and directed her to a stool near the counter. He went in search of a broom and dustpan.

Elena didn't touch her water, choosing instead to just trace the top of the glass with her finger. When Stefan had finished cleaning up the mess, he took the seat next to her. He sat there silently for a few minutes before speaking. "Elena, I have to tell you something" he said quietly, not sure about how she would react. Elena turned to look at him, still running her finger along the rim of the glass. "I hired a private investigator" he said cautiously.

Elena's eyes flashed with confusion. "Are you investigating me?" she asked. Her sense of safety was diminishing at the thought of him prying into her life or having her followed.

"No" he said quickly. "I hired one for you" he corrected. Elena studied him for a moment before it hit her. "I needed to know where he was, what he was doing" he said quietly, catching the change in her emotion.

Elena gripped the counter top and looked straight ahead of her. She remained calm, but her tone told him that she could explode at any moment. "I told you to leave it alone" she said steadily.

"I couldn't" he answered.

Elena let out a short, frustrated breath. "How am I supposed to move on when you are trying to bring my past back?" she asked, her voice losing its evenness. In all honesty, panic was building in her. And she was going to use anger to mask the panic.

"If your nightmares are any indication, you're not moving on" he said, a little bite in his tone. He was set on challenging her.

She looked at him in shock that he would throw that in her face. "My nightmares are none of your concern" she said bitterly.

"They are when they wake me up" he added, matching her bitterness. Again, he was challenging her. He had no issues with losing sleep because of her. He had issues with her shutting him out.

Elena stood up quickly, her eyes flashing now with anger. "How dare you!" she yelled at him. "You had no right to hire some investigator to find my ex. He's my problem, not yours!" she yelled at him.

"Well your problems are my problems now Elena" he told her, standing up as well. "I'm trying to protect you, in case you hadn't considered that" he told her.

"No" Elena said, shaking her head. "You're protecting your money" she spat at him, turning on her heal and attempting to leave.

But he wasn't having any of that. He rushed passed her, stopping in front of her to block her path. "No. You don't get to walk away" he told her defiantly.

"Move" she said through gritted teeth.

"No" he replied, locking his eyes with hers. "In this relationship, we talk about things Elena. So yell. Scream at me. Throw things at me. Do whatever. But don't walk away" he told her.

Elena's anger seemed to dissipate almost instantly. Not because she feared what he would do if she refused to stay and talk. But because he was encouraging her open up to him. "You should have discussed it with me" she said, all of her fight seeming to have disappeared.

Stefan nodded, letting his body relax some. "I should have. I just didn't want to worry you" he spoke honestly.

"Okay. So why tell me now?" she asked him curiously. Stefan's eyes showed his conflict over answering her, but she didn't need him to answer. She already knew. "He's found me, hasn't he?" she asked. Stefan slowly nodded. Elena bit her bottom lip and returned to her stool, taking a seat and resting her elbows on the counter. Her head immediately dropped into her hands. She knew she shouldn't have been surprised by this news. It was only a matter of time before he found her. It wasn't as if she was doing a very good job of hiding. But somehow, she had convinced herself that Derrick had moved on and lost interest in her.

Stefan moved to sit next to her again, placing his hand on her knee in a comforting matter. "This just means we have to be more careful" he told her softly. "We'll put security measures into place" he explained. "I won't let him get near you, Elena" he spoke confidently.

Elena laughed at this, bringing her head up to look at him immediately. "You don't get it. He wants me, Stefan. And he won't stop until he gets me" she said, playing with her wedding ring absentmindedly.

Stefan shook his head in disagreement. "He's not in control anymore" he told her, squeezing her leg. She looked up at him finally and he could see that a single tear had fallen, leaving a trail down her cheek. "We are" he said, searching her eyes for a sign of agreement.

"We?" she said, letting it hang in the air for a moment. "Why are you doing this, Stefan?" she asked him. "Why don't you just cut your losses? Divorce me and find some other girl with a lot less problems" she said, wiping at another tear with frustration.

He looked at her seriously. "Just because this marriage isn't real, doesn't mean some of the feelings aren't real." Elena looked at him curiously. Feelings? What kind of feelings? Stefan stood quietly. "I'll be upstairs" he said, leaving the kitchen with a very confused Elena remaining seated.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena decided that she was not going to call in and pretend to be sick, no matter how much she wanted too. The past few days had been a blur with Stefan following her everywhere like a hawk. He drove her to school, walked her to the building, walked her back to the car and then drove her home. The same thing happened when she went to work. She was frustrated, to say the least. She had lost her independence. It was no different from the way she felt with Derrick, although she didn't have any bruises to go with her loss of independence.

To make matters worse, she had never talked to Stefan about what these feelings between them were.

"Ready?" Stefan asked from the doorway.

"I have to go to the bathroom. Would you like to follow me in there too?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm filling her voice.

"Oh good, Snarky Elena is back" he said, rolling his eyes. "Hurry up. I have things to do" he told her, going back downstairs to wait for her.

By the time they got to the diner, Elena was already jumping out of the car, not bothering to say goodbye. But Stefan shut his car off and came in. He took a seat at the counter and watched her busy herself. He sighed. The stress of Derrick was getting to both of them. "I don't want us to fight" he told her sincerely.

Elena was listening. He could tell. But she made no move to tell him that she didn't want to fight anymore either. Because being mad was easier then asking him if he felt something for her. "I have work to do" she told him.

"Right" he said, standing. "Have a good day. I'll be back in a few hours" he told her, leaning over the counter and kissing her. Elena didn't pull away, but she didn't embrace the kiss either. "Bye."

Elena watched him leave, still feeling that kiss on her lips. Still feeling as confused as ever.

"Hello pretty lady!" came a voice, chipper as ever. Elena turned in the direction of his voice, feeling less enthusiastic to see him then he probably hoped. He took a seat on the stool and smiled at her.

"Taking your babysitting shift?" she asked, grabbing a cup and pouring him coffee. "Because he should really start paying you" she added.

Damon laughed. "I don't think he can really afford it" Damon mentioned.

Now Elena laughed. "I'm sure he can dish out a few dollars to pay you for watching me" she told him, handing him a menu.

"Not when he's paying someone $30,000 to follow your psycho ex" Damon said, meaning to say it under his breath, but actually saying it loud enough for Elena to hear.

"What?" she asked, dropping her towel. "Did you just say what I think you said?" she asked him.

"What do you think I said?" Damon asked, playing stupid.

"You said Stefan spent $30,000 to have Derrick followed" she said. Then it hit her. Stefan told Damon about Derrick. How dare he. She told him in confidence.

"Well, that's just for this month. He'll pay it again next month. And the month after" Damon shrugged. "If I were you, I wouldn't ask for too much for Christmas this year" he winked.

Elena glared at him. "First, that is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on following someone" Elena said. Damon agreed. "Second, what exactly did Stefan tell you?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Damon looked at her for a moment before looking around him. Then he leaned forward so just she could hear him. "He told me that your ex didn't know how to keep his hands off of you" Damon told her. "We don't tolerate that in this family. Stefan and I made a pact after watching our father push our mother through a window" he explained vaguely. Elena's eyes locked on Damon's. Damon leaned in even closer. "He couldn't save her. So let him save you" he finished.

Elena swallowed slowly. She knew that Stefan's parents had died. That was all she knew about them. "Damon" Elena said, so quietly she barely heard herself.

"I'm not here to babysit, Elena. Just wanted some coffee" he said, pulling some money out of his wallet and tossing it on the counter. "Gotta run" he smiled. "A pleasure seeing you again" he added before turning to leave.

Elena remained where she was for a moment, thinking over everything Damon had just told her. Stefan was spending large sums of money to help keep her safe from Derrick. That didn't even include all of the security measures that Stefan was talking about. And then there was the bit about his parents and abuse in their relationship. Why had he never mentioned it?

"Elena?" her boss asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. "Can you take the trash out?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure thing" Elena said, heading towards the back to grab the trash. She continued to think about any hints about his parent's relationship that Stefan might have given her the past two months. She couldn't pull up anything.

Elena stepped out the back door and flung the lid of the dumpster open, tossing the trash bag in. She slammed it shut and turned around. "Hello Elena" he said, standing right in front of her. Elena gasped, backing up into the dumpster, hitting it with enough force to inch it backwards. "Don't be frightened" he told her calmly, looking her over. "I've missed you."

Elena pressed herself as close to the dumpster as she could, feeling her body begin to shake, no matter how much she willed her body to remain calm and under control. "I'll scream" she warned, her voice cracking with weakness.

Derrick smiled. "You're not going to want to do that, Elena" he said, his voice even. He took a step closer to her. "Or should I say, Mrs. Salvatore?"


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: First, I have posted my short one-shot of Stefan and Elena, so check it out! It follows the storyline on the show, but I added my own take on what would happen. It is called Inhale, Exhale.**

**I have been asked by a few people if I have a Twitter, so I created an account so that we can communicate more efficiently. TVDVampireKat or you can copy and paste this link: /#!/TVDVampireKat. I will use this account to tell you about the progress of my writing, such as when I will update. We can also talk about my stories, the show, or anything else! I do ask that you do not tweet spoilers to me. I don't like knowing about them because I like the suspense! I do, however, like coming up with my own ideas on what I want to happen, so I am totally okay with us discussing your ideas too, just so long as you did not pick them up from spoilers ;)**

**You all spoil me with such great reviews! I am so very happy to hear that you enjoy reading this story. I had some concern about whether I was going to skip over the next few months of the marriage to speed things up. I have not decided, but I do know that this story has a lot more to go. So, if I did skip over the next few months, I would write more after the six months. I still want to bring Jeremy and Bonnie into the story and do a little more with Katherine.**

**I would love to hear your thoughts in reviews and on Twitter! Feel free to follow me! **

Elena's eyes widened. Derrick knew about her marriage to Stefan. The whole thing had been pretty hush hush, so that meant that Derrick had been watching her and probably for quite some time. "I've changed, Elena" he spoke in a calm, almost eerily soothing way. "I got help. I'm not that guy anymore. I don't want to hurt you anymore" he told her, his eyes almost pleading with her to believe him.

Elena took a subtle, slow breath so that she would have enough air to speak. She wanted to tell him to go to hell, that she didn't believe that he changed because he was too much of a monster to do so. But she thought better of it. "I'm married now" she reminded him, feeling her voice catch in her throat some.

Derrick smiled softly, again in a creepy, soothing way. "Your marriage may be real on paper, but you and I both know the only reason you married him was so that he could gain access to his trust fund" he said. Elena felt herself stop breathing. He knew too much. He was going to ruin everything. And Stefan would blame her. He would hate her. Just like Bonnie and Jeremy hated her. And then she would truly have no one. She would be alone. "Twelve million, was it?" Derrick asked, pretending to think hard about it. "Well, eleven after he gives you your million" he corrected.

Elena felt herself force a breath, just to get oxygen running through her again. "Your information is wrong" she told him, less confidently than she would have liked. "I'm in love with him." It wasn't so much a lie, either. Not anymore.

"But he's not in love with you, is he?" Derrick asked, tilting his head to the side. "He wants his money. He doesn't care about you unless his money is at stake. But you know that, don't you?" he asked her. Elena quickly looked down at her feet, telling herself to stop listening to him. Telling herself that Derrick was wrong. Stefan did care about her. Right? "He doesn't love you, Elena. No one does, except for me" he added, taking a step closer to her. Elena felt her heartbeat increase, though her whole body froze. "I was there for you, Elena. When your parents died. I took care of you. And I loved you. No one else will ever love you the way I did. The way I still do" he spoke softly.

Elena closed her eyes and shook her head. "No. You don't love me" she said, pushing herself closer to the dumpster in her attempt to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Yes, I do Elena" he said, refusing to let her think otherwise. "Stefan doesn't love you, Elena" he said, repeating what he had said before. He could see Elena breaking down, falling apart. And that is what he wanted to see. To reduce her to nothing so she would believe his every word. So she would become dependent on him once again. "Stefan doesn't want you. He wants his money and once he gets that, he is going to throw you out of his house like he would a bag of trash" he continued. "You're not good enough for him" he told her, pounding those words into her head.

Elena felt herself struggle to breathe. "No" she whispered. "No" she repeated to herself. "He cares about me. He wants me. I am good enough" she said, forcing her tears back.

"You're just some waitress from a small town. You're not pretty enough, Elena. Or smart enough" he continued. "You're just a body to keep him warm at night, that's all you are to him."

"You're wrong!" she yelled, opening up her eyes and staring him down. "You don't know Stefan and you know nothing about us!" she yelled again. When Stefan kissed her, she knew he felt something for her. When he touched her, it was real. What she had with Stefan was no longer a business deal. What they had may not be perfect, but it was raw and intriguing. And she loved that. "So go, go back to wherever you came from and leave me alone!" She felt herself shaking as she yelled at him. But she stood up straight and faced him, showing him that she was not afraid, even though she was scared to death.

Derrick just laughed. "You sure are defensive for someone who is so sure" he told her. "I told you how I feel, Elena. And I told you the truth about your situation with Stefan" he said. "By the way, where is Stefan right now?" he asked, pretending to look around for him.

"He would kick your ass if he knew you were here" Elena said through gritted teeth. And she believed that with everything she had.

Derrick chuckled. "That so?" he asked. "You honestly think he would dirty up his pretty little playboy image for some nobody like you?" he asked. "I don't think so" he said. "I am glad he's not here though. This is giving us a chance to catch up. It has been quite some time since I've seen you. Well, since you have seen me, I suppose is a better way to put it." Elena felt disgusted, knowing that he had been watching her. And he continued to watch her in that moment as she stood before him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Damon shoved the Grill's front door open as he made his way back inside. He snapped with his fingers at the manager, needing his attention. "Where's Elena?" Damon asked. He had forgotten to ask her what time Lily was coming over on Friday to spend the weekend with her and Stefan. He had also realized that he did not have Elena's number and that his brother was screening his calls today apparently.

"She's taking out the trash. Looks like she forgot some" he said, eyeing Damon. He didn't like the guy.

Damon found that to be a bit rude, but he laughed sarcastically. "You're funny, man" Damon said, before dropping his fake smile and becoming serious. "Come on, I have a meeting in an hour. Where is she?" he asked again.

"The dumpster is out back" the manager replied, picking up a clipboard and checking a few items off.

Damon groaned. "Can you tell her to call her brother-in-law when she gets a chance?" he asked him.

The manager scowled. "What do I look like, your messenger boy?" he asked, quite irritated. "Why don't you walk your lazy ass out back and tell her yourself. And tell her to hurry up while you're at it. We've got customers waiting."

The manager walked off and Damon cursed under his breath as he walked towards the kitchen and kicked the backdoor open. He was probably going to be late for his meeting now, especially if traffic going into the city was bad. Damon stopped when he saw a man standing in front of Elena. The door he had kicked open swung back and hit him in the shoulder, but he didn't seem to notice.

The man, looking almost as surprised as Elena, stepped back when he saw Damon. Damon surveyed the situation, looking mostly at Elena. Something was off about her, but then again, he always thought she was a little weird. "What's going on?" Damon asked, walking towards them.

"Just asking this lady for some directions. I took a wrong turn" Derrick said, putting on a pleasant charm for Damon.

Damon placed himself between Elena and the man, but made sure to be facing him. "Elena?" Damon asked, his back to her.

Elena nodded before she realized he wouldn't be able to see her. "Yeah" she said, doing her best to hide her anxiety.

"I should be going. Thank you again, Miss" Derrick said, smiling at them both before turning to leave. Before he could take another step, Damon had him by the back of his jacket and Derrick felt the side of his face meet the concrete of the building's wall. Elena gasped, covering her mouth at the sight of it all, mostly caught off guard. "What the hell?" Derrick asked, trying to push himself off of the wall, but Damon wasn't going to have any of that.

"So nice to finally meet you, Derrick" Damon said, flipping him around and knocking the back of his head against the wall in the process. But Damon wanted Derrick to see his face to make sure he was paying attention. Because what he had to say was important. "You okay Elena?" Damon asked.

"I'm fine" she lied. But the look of fear in Derrick's eyes at that very moment made her feel a little better.

"So I hear you like to beat up on women?" Damon asked. "That makes me angry when I hear about guys like you doing that sort of thing" he added. "But to make matters worse, for you anyway, is that you hurt Elena, who happens to be my sister now" he said, a look of revenge twinkling in his eyes as he gripped Derrick tighter.

"It was an accident. I never meant to hurt her" Derrick said frantically, afraid of what Damon might actually do to him. It was scary to be the one not in power, and that was exactly what Damon wanted him to feel.

Damon laughed. "An accident, huh?" he asked. Derrick nodded. "Like, your fist accidently hit Elena in the face?" he asked. Elena felt herself cringe at the memory. "See Derrick, sometimes I do things on accident too" Damon told him. "Are you right-handed?" he asked him. Derrick hesitantly nodded his head yes before screaming out in pain as he felt the bones in his right hand and wrist pop and crack. "Oops, sorry. That was an accident" Damon said, releasing Derrick's hand and letting him fall to the ground. Derrick breathed out sharp painful breaths as he held his hand and watched it swell. Then Damon bent down to his level and looked him in the eye. "That was just a warning. If I catch you anywhere near Elena again, there will be a much, much bigger accident for you to look forward to" he said, throwing Derrick's head back into the wall one last time. "Now go, before I get so sick of looking at your face that I smash it in" he said.

Derrick scrambled to his feet and took off down the alley. He disappeared around a corner before Damon acknowledged Elena. "Are you really okay?" he asked. Her face was pale white and she looked like she was in a state of shock.

She nodded slowly, finally looking at him. "I've never had anyone defend me like that to Derrick before" she said. It had felt amazing for someone to be on her side. For Derrick to finally feel what it was like to be so scared, so unsure of what might happen.

"Yeah, well, just be glad I found him and not Stefan" he said. Elena wondered what he meant by that, but Damon was already wrapping his arm around her and moving her back inside. "Come on. You're not feeling well so I'm taking you home" he said and she realized that was her excuse for leaving work.

"Damon" Elena said as she sat next to him in the car. He looked over at her. "Thank you" she said, knowing she needed to say it.

"You're welcome" he smiled, turning his attention back to the road. They pulled into the driveway minutes later and Elena realized how much she dreaded going into that house and telling Stefan about her run-in with Derrick. Maybe she didn't have to.

She let out a small nervous sigh. "You're not going to tell Stefan, are you?" she asked, turning to look at him.

Damon stared at her for a moment before shaking his head no. "No, I'm not" he said. "But you are."

**A/N: This chapter was a little short, but I did not want to get into Stefan and Elena's conversation just quite yet. I have a feeling it could be a doozy, especially with all those horrible things Derrick was filling her head with about Stefan not wanting her. Damn you Derrick. **

**P.S. I loved all of the Paul and Nina love in my reviews! Makes me happy!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Yay for all this snow allowing me to stay home and write! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really was not going to take this route with it, at least not this soon, but I think it needed to happen. You guys inspired me to move it along! So, as always, let me know what you think!**

**Thank you to all of those following me on Twitter! TVDVampireKat. I am having a lot of fun chatting with you all!**

Elena felt herself begin to panic. "He doesn't have to know, Damon" Elena insisted. "Derrick left. You scared him off. He won't be back" she said, trying to calm herself down.

"Sorry, kid" Damon said, opening his car door. "Stefan's going to find out one way or another and trust me, it will be better if it comes from you" he said. He walked to Elena's side of the car and opened the door for her. Elena remained where she was for a moment before getting out of the car. She walked a few paces behind Damon, trying to decide if she could take off and outrun him. Then she remembered that she had had a rough evening and probably did not need to be physically exerting herself like that. And, it was getting dark.

Stefan opened the front door, having heard a car door slam outside. He saw Damon and then Elena. "What's going on?" he asked.

Damon waited for Elena to go ahead of him into the house before walking in. Stefan followed, confused as to what was going on. "Elena" Damon said.

Elena stopped and turned to face Stefan. She looked up and met his eyes and found him looking at her with concern. "Derrick showed up at the Grill" she said quietly.

"He what?" Stefan practically yelled, turning to face Damon. "What do you mean he showed up?" he asked angrily.

"Why are you yelling at me? I'm the one that showed up and saved the day!" Damon yelled back, clearly frustrated with his younger brother.

"And where is Derrick now?" Stefan questioned, still ignoring Elena who was standing off to the side. Her muscles were tense as she watched the two brothers arguing.

"I don't know" Damon shrugged. "I told him to stay away from Elena. He left" Damon explained.

"You just let him go?" Stefan yelled. He could not believe how stupid his brother could be sometimes. Well, he could. But he wanted to believe that Damon was smarter than that.

"What was I supposed to do with him, Stefan?" Damon asked. "Tie him up and throw him in the trunk of my car?" he asked sarcastically.

"Yes, that is exactly what you should have done!" Stefan continued yelling. "Now he's just going to come right back after her!" he spat. "You don't think, do you Damon? Were you not given that ability? He's dangerous! And you just probably pissed him off. So now we have to sit and wait for him to come back after her? Do you know what he is capable of?"

Elena could not stand in the room any longer and listen to Stefan and Damon shout at each other. Not after what she had just endured with Derrick. So many emotions were beginning to build up inside of her that she felt like she would lose it. Anger. Fear. Confusion. Sadness. And the list went on. Stefan continued to yell something at Damon and Elena used this opportunity to leave.

Damon and Stefan both turned to watch her run up the stairs. Their fighting ceased for the moment. Stefan cursed under his breath as he leaned his hands against the back of the couch. Screaming at Damon in front of her was no way to show her that he was going to protect her. It only showed her that he was feeling defeated. Damon felt uncomfortable by the silence. "If I were you, I would probably go and check on Elena" he said, throwing it out there for Stefan to consider.

This only made Stefan angrier. "No, you know what I have to do right now? Call that incompetent PI of yours to tell him he's fired!" Stefan yelled one last time before storming out of the room.

Damon heard a door slam. He figured Stefan would be preoccupied for the next half an hour or so, so he quietly climbed the stairs and went in search of Elena. It wasn't hard to find her. He could hear her sobbing in one of the guest bedrooms. When he pushed the door open, she was sitting on the floor against the bed with her knees pulled up to her chest and her face buried. Damon quietly sat down next to her. "You're not okay, are you?" he spoke softly.

Elena lifted her head slightly to look at him with her puffy red eyes. "I just want him to leave me alone" she cried softly. "Why can't he do that?" she asked sadly.

Damon sighed. "Because guys like him, they can't let go, Elena" he said. "He only knows what he knows and that is that he can control you, manipulate you, bring you down so low that you can't think for yourself" he said. Elena's sobs quieted as she listened to him, but her tears still fell. "But you have to prove to him that you're not that same girl. You're stronger now, Elena. And he can't hurt you because you won't let him" he said. "Stefan won't let him" he added. "And I won't either."

Elena suddenly looked towards Damon, taking in the idea that he would protect her too. But why? He thought she was a liar. He vowed to expose her and Stefan's fake marriage. He had been out to get her from the beginning and now, two short months later, he wanted to protect her? "Why do you care so much?" she asked. She was expecting him to answer with something like because his brother cared. Or because he owed his brother. Or because of Lily. Something along those lines.

He smiled at her and leaned in a little closer. "Because I don't like to see anyone hurt as much as Derrick has hurt you" he answered. That was not an answer she was expecting. Neither was his next move. Damon leaned in a little farther and placed a gentle, soft kiss on her lips. Before she even had time to comprehend what he was doing, he kissed her again, this time, a little more eagerly.

Her heartbeat became rapid as her brain screamed at her that this was not okay. She wasn't supposed to be kissing Damon. She wasn't Katherine. She tore her lips away from his, feeling incredibly guilty, even though he had technically kissed her and taken advantage of the situation she was in. "You can't do that" she said, turning her face away from him.

"Why not?" Damon asked. He didn't see a problem with it. He was comforting her. Something his brother was not doing.

She turned back to face him, her face suddenly angry. "Because I'm married to Stefan" she stated. Then she wanted to kick herself because that was not the right thing to say to Damon.

"Married" Damon repeated. "Not in love with him" he added, thinking over her answer.

"I do love Stefan" she quickly corrected. "My marriage means something to me" she told him, bracing herself for the next thing she was about to say. "I'm sorry you don't feel the same way about yours."

Damon's face remained unchanged, though his eyes flickered with interest. Then he laughed softly as he stood up. "Do me a favor and don't tell Stefan about this, okay?" he told her, leaving her there on the floor.

A surge of hatred ran through her. She wanted to tell Stefan. She wanted to tell him that Damon had taken advantage of her. Damon had gained her trust by defending her and now he was telling her what she couldn't do. She didn't like that. It was exactly what Derrick had done.

And was it what Stefan was doing? Using her only to control her as well? Charm her so she would fall for him and then hurt her in the end? Maybe Derrick was right. Stefan didn't care about her. He wanted access to his trust fund and he wanted sex, both things he had openly admitted wanting to her. And she had agreed to both. Was Stefan's charm and concern now merely just a way for him to keep her in the marriage and to get sex from her?

Elena clenched her fist tight. She refused to be that girl who was easily taken advantage of. She had fought so hard to get rid of her and she was not going to bring her back.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan threw his phone onto the table and kicked a chair too. The PI was not answering his phone and Stefan was not sure how many angry messages he could leave. The last one though made it perfectly clear that he was fired. He figured now he needed to find Elena.

A part of him felt guilty for not consoling her immediately. But the other part of him knew that he had been too frustrated and angry to be near her. But enough was enough. He needed to be there for her now. Slowly, he made his way up the stairs. "Elena?" he asked, checking her bedroom. He continued walking down the hallway, finally finding her in his room. Their room. "Elena?" he said, approaching her carefully.

Elena had her back turned to him as she was putting her hair up in a messy ponytail for the night. His arms snaked around her waist, locking around her firmly. His chin rested on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Elena shrugged away from him, getting herself out of his arms. "I'm fine" she said, going to the dresser and pulling out a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt.

He stood there, trying to decide if she was really fine, or if she was doing that thing that women do where they say they are fine, but really, they wanted him to secretly know they weren't and to talk to them. He walked back towards her again, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back into his arms. "I'm sorry I wasn't there" he said, kissing her neck. "Tell me what happened" he said, offering for her to talk about it.

Elena wanted to turn around and wrap her arms around him, encourage him to hold her tight. But that would make her weak and that would allow him to take advantage of her. "Don't worry about it" she said, shrugging away from him again. "You don't have to pretend to care" she said.

Stefan stood there for a moment, not too sure on what was going on with her. He figured that she was just upset over the night's events. "Elena …" he tried, but she was quick to cut him off.

"Stop Stefan!" she yelled, turning to face him. "Just stop" she said, exhaustion staining her voice. "I am so sick of you pretending to care about me!" she said, raising her voice once again. "Why can't you just be honest and admit that all you care about is your money and sleeping with me?" she asked, on the verge of getting tearful.

She expected him to react by getting mad and storming out. She was hoping for that, actually. But instead, he just stood there and stared at her for a long time. Finally, he spoke. "What did he say to you?" Stefan asked, his voice full of curiosity and concern.

Elena wanted to laugh. What hadn't Derrick said to her? "It doesn't matter Stefan" she told him. "I want to go to bed and forget this day ever happened" she said.

He was losing her, he realized. She was slipping away from him. Because of Derrick. But also, Stefan realized, because he was not telling her how he felt. Not directly anyways. And maybe he needed to. Maybe his hugs, his kisses, weren't enough. Maybe she needed to hear him say how he felt. Elena stood there, beginning to feel nervous. "Elena" he said, moving towards her yet again. He grabbed her clothes from her hands and tossed them on to the bed. Then he grabbed her hand. "Come with me" he said, smiling softly at her. "I want to show you something."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena took note of the lightly falling snow as she held Stefan's hand and followed him out to the barn. They didn't say anything to one another as Stefan put the bridle on one of the horses. She waited for him to grab the other horse, but he never did. "Give me your leg" was all he said as he effortlessly lifted her up. Elena held on to the horse's mane tightly, fearing that she might fall off without a saddle. Before she knew it, Stefan was climbing on behind her, moving himself forward so he could hold the reins and her at the same time. He could feel how tense she was, no doubt indicating that she was nervous. "Trust me?' he asked, whispering in her ear as the horse danced a bit in place, ready to go.

Elena sighed, releasing her tight hold on the horse and leaned back into Stefan. She nodded. Stefan moved the horse forward, taking a different trail than he had taken her on before. He was careful to move around the fallen logs and low-hanging tree branches. The moment she felt like she was sliding off of the horse, she would feel Stefan tighten his grip on her and pull her back to center her. After a while, he was even able to get the horse to settle into an easy trot as they climbed what Elena thought might be one of the rocky hills that she could see out her bedroom window.

The horse eventually came to a stop and Elena looked around, seeing a small circle outlined with larger rocks. There appeared to be a fire pit in the middle. The faint trickling of water could be heard nearby. "Where are we?" Elena asked as Stefan swung down off of the horse. He held his arms out for her to get down as well.

"The back part of the property" he said, setting her down on her feet. He walked over to a shelf of rock housing a little bit of firewood and grabbed a handful to dump in the fire pit. Elena watched as he lit a match and the wood began to catch fire.

"It's beautiful" Elena said, taking a seat on one of the rocks and holding her hands out toward the flames. She realized how cold it was when she had gotten off of the horse.

Stefan added another piece of wood before joining her on the rock. "It can be a bit of a rough ride, depending on the time of the year" he said, continuing to make small talk, though he knew they needed to talk about what was really important. "I know that you want to work. To have some sort of independence while you're with me" he began.

Elena knew what he was getting at. "But you want me to quit" she guessed.

"For your safety. I just don't see another way" he spoke softly. "Derrick proved today that he can get to you, even when other people are around. We got lucky today, with Damon being there" he added.

Elena tensed at the mention of Damon. The Damon who had kissed her. "We" Elena said, avoiding the conversation around Damon. "You keep saying that."

"Well, yeah" he said. "You and me. We're kind of a team now" he said, nudging her. Elena remained silent, looking out past the fire. "Elena" he said, attempting to get her attention. "Hey" he said softly. She turned to face him, but not really sure what to say to him. Luckily, he acted first, placing his hand just on the inside of her jacket and pulling her forward, kissing her. It was a light, gentle kiss and then it was over. When her eyes opened, his were staring back at her. "Whatever Derrick said to you, it isn't true" he said quietly.

"So I'm not just some girl you have sex with and who is helping you become a millionaire?" she asked just as quietly. Although she was trying to remain emotionless as she asked, Stefan could see her fighting back her sadness that this all might be true.

He turned away from her slightly, though he kept his hand resting on her side. "That's all you were to me when I met you" he admitted.

"And now?" she asked, a little afraid to hear his response.

He turned back towards her. "And now" he said, preparing himself. "You are everything that I wanted back then" he said. "And if I still wanted that – a wife and a family, I wouldn't let you go" he admitted. Elena wasn't quite sure what all of that meant. "I care about you, Elena. And yeah, I'm falling in love with you. But what is the point in letting myself love you when I can't keep you in my life forever?" he asked her.

Elena let herself take a shaky breath, feeling a single tear run down her cheek. He had feelings for her. Maybe not concrete feelings, but they were there. And maybe now it was time for her to be honest with him. "I think I'm already in love with you" she said so quietly, he almost had to ask her to repeat herself. His eyes locked on hers for a minute, making her uneasy. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. "Tell me what to do, Stefan. Should I stop feeling these feelings?" she asked. "Should I stop sleeping with you? Go back to staying in my own room?"

Stefan sighed. "I never expected you to fall in love with me" he admitted. She nodded. She thought it would never be possible. "I can't promise you that at the end of these six months, I'll still want to be married" he said. "And I don't want to hurt you or give you false hope."

"I don't expect you to know what you want" she told him quickly. "I'm the one breaking the rules here" she reminded him, turning away from him again.

Stefan shook his head. "No, I broke the rules first" he told her. "I let you fall in love with me. When I should have prevented it" he said honestly, causing her to look back at him. He could see that more tears had fallen. Slowly, he brought his hand up to her cheek and brushed them away. "I do know one thing, though" he told her, resting his forehead against hers so he could be as close as possible to her while still being able to look in her eyes. "I like having you in my life. And I think I want you to stay in it, whether romantically or as my friend" he smiled.

Elena nodded, smiling herself. "I'd like that" she admitted. "We've still got four months left of this marriage. Our feelings might change" she said, knowing that hers probably wouldn't, but he might decide that he wanted commitment.

"We'll decide when we get there" he said, kissing her cheek where a new tear had fallen. "In the meantime, you definitely need to keeping sleeping in my bed" he mumbled against her cheek. Elena laughed softly at his attempt to be humorous. "But right now, I need to focus on keeping you safe" he added, moving his head down to kiss the side of her mouth before finding her lips. "Because losing you now or in a few months is not an option" he added. He stopped kissing her and looked at her one last time. "You don't deserve to be tormented by him anymore, Elena" he told her. "I want you to be happy. I need you to be happy" he finished.

Elena fell against him, her arms gripping the sides of his jacket as she cried. No longer were those tears of fear. They were tears of relief. Relief that Derrick was not going to hurt her anymore. Relief that she was going to get her chance to be happy. Relief that she meant something to Stefan. "I needed to hear that. All of it" she cried softly, continuing to hold on to him.

"I know" he whispered against her hair. As they sat there in front of the growing fire, he thought about how he should have told her all of this sooner. Then he realized, in a few months, he was probably going to realize that he loved her. So maybe he should just tell her now instead of beating himself up later on for not telling her sooner. "I love you" he whispered, pulling her closer. "Hold on to that. Don't ever forget it."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Thank you soooo much for your patience! Last week's snowstorm and power outage prevented me from updating. But I am back!**

**I appreciate all of the comments. I seem to be getting more reviewers every chapter which is beyond amazing. Thank you to those who follow me on Twitter (TVDVampireKat). I have enjoyed talking with you!**

**I hope you enjoy this update. I had a bit of fun writing it :D**

Stefan carefully got up from the couch, trying his best not to wake a sleeping Elena. Once they had returned from their ride, Stefan had suggested they have dinner and watch a movie. Elena had fallen asleep halfway through the movie and he had been afraid to move and risk waking her.

Now that he had been able to get up off of the couch, he went around the house, locking all of the doors and windows. He never worried too much about it before until this whole thing with Derrick emerged. He would have to call a security company and have something installed around the house and property. Maybe some dogs to let roam around.

Stefan made his way back to the couch where Elena hadn't moved. He slowly slipped his arms under her and picked her up so effortlessly, he would have thought it was something he did all the time. Elena stirred awake, clearly startled. "It's okay" he told her quietly, searching her eyes for any indication that she recognized it was him. "I'm just taking you up to bed" he reassured her. Elena seemed to relax instantly, resting her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes again.

He took the stairs slowly, making sure not to trip and drop her. When He reached the bedroom, he slowly set her in bed. He went to stand back up, only to find that Elena had locked her arms around his neck, smiling as she refused to let him go. He smiled as he fell on top of her, kissing her passionately. Apparently she wasn't as tired as he had thought. Her hands slid up under his shirt, making their way over the muscles in his back. "Mmmm, we can't do this" Stefan mumbled, pulling his lips away from her.

She looked up at him with concern. "Why not?" she asked. Had she misread his interest tonight? Had she completely scared him off by telling him that she was in love with him?

Stefan simply smiled, easing her worry. He glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "Because it is way past your bedtime" he reminded her. "You've got class tomorrow and then a hot date for the Ballet" he added.

"Hot date?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "Someone is a little sure of himself."

"Okay, first. That was a little mean" he said, causing her to roll her eyes. "And second, if you were fishing for a compliment, I would give you one" he said, smacking her with the nearby pillow before rolling over to his side of the bed.

Elena threw the pillow back at him. "First" she said, mocking him. "I have a shortened day tomorrow because it is Friday" she reminded, dismissing the need for a lot of sleep. "And second, I don't fish for compliments because I don't need them" she said, matter of factly.

Stefan pulled on the covers, taking them away from her. "Fine. I'll stop giving them then" he told her, burying himself under the blankets.

Elena pulled on the blankets, though she gave up pretty quickly. Instead, she joined him under them. "I like your compliments. I just don't need them" she explained, resting her head on his arm.

He pulled her closer and smiled. "Everyone needs a compliment once in a while" he told her, sighing as his eyes closed.

"Stefan?" she asked. He opened one eye and stared at her. "About tomorrow. I don't want to go to the Ballet anymore. I'd rather come back here after class and pick up Lily. Maybe take her out to an early dinner" Elena suggested.

Stefan thought about it for a moment before he answered. "You sure?" he asked. "You were pretty excited about the Ballet. And now you want to trade that in for babysitting an extra night?"

"I don't see it as babysitting" Elena laughed. "She's pretty awesome" she added.

"Yeah" Stefan agreed. "She gets that from me" he said, smiling proudly. Elena rolled her eyes again and moved away from him. What she didn't say was that Lily had a way of making her forget about her pain and hurt just by smiling and laughing. It was infectious. Stefan had the same effect on Elena. Stefan grabbed her, pulling her back so that they were face to face. "If you are really sure, I think that sounds like an excellent idea" he whispered in her ear before kissing just below her ear.

"I'm sure" she confirmed, sighing as his lips moved so softly down her neck. But she could not let this continue, because kissing would lead to more touching which would definitely lead to clothes being taken off. Stefan was right. She needed her sleep she supposed. Elena grabbed his hands, causing him to stop kissing her and look at her. "I have to get my sleep, remember?" she smirked.

Stefan groaned as Elena got out of bed and changed. He didn't bother to look the other way as she slid her jeans off and then pulled her shirt over her head and tossed her bra aside. Elena didn't bother to conceal herself. He propped himself up on his elbow and smiled. "You don't have to put your pajamas on" he said.

Elena stepped into her pajama bottoms and pulled a tank top over her head. She turned around and shook her head at him. "I'd get too cold" she informed him.

"Oh, I'd keep you plenty warm" he said, winking at her. Elena picked up her clothes and walked them to the bathroom to put them in the hamper.

When she came back, Stefan pulled the covers back for her. He had already rid himself of his pants and shirt. "Just so you know, it's creepy when you wink at me" she said, climbing in. Stefan rolled his eyes as he got up and shut the light off. When he got back in bed, Elena began thinking that she should say something to him about earlier when she had revealed her true feelings to him. He seemed to be handling it pretty well as far as she could tell. "Hey Stefan?" she asked. She couldn't make out his face in the dark, but she figured it might be easier if she couldn't see him. "I'm sorry, if I freaked you out tonight. You know, telling you I might be in love with you" she said quickly. "It wasn't my intention and I probably never would have told you if I hadn't been so upset with Derrick and everything" she added, just as quickly. "This was a business deal" she reminded. She wasn't supposed to have feelings.

It was silent for a few minutes and Elena half wondered if Stefan had fallen asleep. But then he rolled over closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. Elena closed her eyes as she felt herself being pulled into his chest. He placed a gentle kiss on her temple and sighed. "You didn't freak me out, Elena. It's kind of nice to be loved, believe it or not" he told her, getting a small laugh from her. "And that contract we made?" he asked her. "I don't even know what I did with it. To be honest, Lily probably used the back of it to color on" he added.

"Well that does us a lot of good" she said.

Stefan laughed. "I believe you stated very clearly that I couldn't kiss you or touch you. And clearly you've changed your mind" he said, pulling her even closer and kissing near her ear.

Elena wrapped her arms around his, trying to remember a time when she had felt this content. Despite the issues she was facing right now, namely the Derrick issues, she felt happy. "Still know where the prenup agreement is?" she asked.

"Nope" Stefan said. "Besides, I don't really think you're the kind of girl who would take everything I had" he added.

Elena smiled. "I'm glad you sound so confident" she said, earning her another kiss on her temple. She felt him relax, indicating that he was ready for sleep. "Stefan?" she asked. She wasn't. "I wanted to talk to you about Thanksgiving" she mentioned.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked, suddenly awake again.

"I was thinking about going to California and seeing my brother and Bonnie" she said, holding her breath and waiting for his reaction.

"Yeah, that's one option" he said, not sounding too thrilled about it. "Or, you could invite them to come stay with us" he offered.

Elena sat up quickly and turned her lamp on, causing Stefan to groan and shield his eyes from the intrusive light. "You want them to come here?" she asked in disbelief.

Stefan sat up too. "Well, yeah. I told you I wanted to meet them. What better time than Thanksgiving break?" he asked her. "I'll take care of their flights and they can stay here. I'll do dinner. Completely low-key" he shrugged.

"I don't know" she said hesitantly. "I don't think it's a good idea. I told you. My brother is not going to be happy about us. About you" she explained.

"Then I'll make him like me" Stefan said. "If I can make you like me, I think I can make anyone like me" he winked again. Elena raised her eyebrow in warning. "Come on. Just invite them out. We'll all have a good time. I'll make sure of it" he promised.

Elena thought about his offer and then huffed. "You're not going to stop until you get what you want" she said. Stefan winked again. "Stop that!" she said, turning to turn her lamp off. "I'll call my brother" she sighed, snuggling down into the covers.

"Good" Stefan said, snuggling down with her. He smiled at the thought that he had one this round. He liked winning. Especially if it meant winning with her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Where should we take Lily to dinner?" Elena asked as they entered into Mystic Falls. Elena stifled a yawn, having had an intense class discussion hours earlier.

Stefan looked over at her. "You know, we could just pick something up and head home" he offered.

Elena shook her head. "No. I just need coffee" she said, waving off his offer.

"Okay" Stefan said, turning down the road that Damon lived on. Elena felt herself become anxious. The last time she had seen Damon, he had kissed her. Something that she still hadn't told Stefan about. Why? She didn't know. Maybe because things were going so well between her and Stefan. When Stefan parked the car, he looked over and saw that she looked nervous. "You okay?" he asked.

Elena quickly looked over at him before nodding. "Yeah. Maybe I should stay in the car. Katherine probably wouldn't appreciate me in her house" she explained quickly.

Stefan quickly brushed her concerns off. "Katherine is probably passed out drunk" he said, getting out of the car. "Come on" he said. Elena silently groaned as she got out of the car and followed Stefan to the door.

Stefan knocked on the door, remembering how irritating he found it to be when Damon barged in to the boarding house. As they waited, Elena took the time to look around. There was a large well-manicured front lawn with a pond and fountain along with various marble statues. The lawn was perfect, as were the trees planted strategically around the property. She thought it must have cost Damon a fortune to keep it up.

The door swung open and Katherine smiled as she saw Stefan, then glared when she saw Elena. "Well well, what do I owe the pleasure?" she asked, turning her attention back to Stefan.

"Just picking up Lily" Stefan said, brushing past Katherine in an attempt to get away from her.

Katherine bit her bottom lip as her eyes followed him. Elena felt herself getting a little jealous at the way Katherine was watching Stefan. "Can I come in?" Elena asked, clearly annoyed with Katherine.

Katherine turned around, giving her a snarky look. "If you must" she said. Elena slid past her uncomfortably. "Just don't touch anything" she said, narrowing her eyes at Elena. "I know you have Stefan's money now, but I still don't trust you not to swipe a crystal vase from me" she smirked.

Elena smiled. "I tend to go for the paintings, but thanks for the heads up on the crystal" she chirped, turning and going in search of Stefan.

Katherine crossed her arms and clenched her fists, but she could not think up a snarky reply on the spot. Another time, she thought.

Elena walked through the kitchen and through what she thought was a study. The house did not look this large from the outside. As she walked around the corner, she bumped into someone. "Elena" Damon smiled. "Nice to see you again."

Elena stepped back, putting a good few feet between them. "I'm looking for Stefan" she said.

"Oh, and here I was hoping you were looking for me" he grinned. Elena did not find it funny. "Look, I'm sorry about the other day. I shouldn't have kissed you and it won't happen again" he told her. "Unless you want it to" he added more seriously.

"No, I do not want it to happen again" she said sternly. Although she did not believe his apology, she knew it would be proper manners to accept it. "Thank you for your apology."

Damon nodded. "Well, since I have you here, can I get you to sign a form for me?" he asked, stepping around her into his study. He grabbed a folder off of a desk and opened it. "I would like to add you to the emergency contact list for Lily's school" he said, handing a paper to her. Elena took the paper cautiously and examined it. "No funny business, I promise" he smiled. "This is for Lily. I know how close you two have gotten recently."

Elena thought she was picking up on sincerity in his voice. But she was still skeptical, especially when she realized that she was listed above Katherine on the contact list. "I'm number three?" she asked, looking up at Damon.

"Well, yeah" Damon stated. "They call me first and if I cannot be reached, then Stefan is called. Then you" he said, then smiled sadly. "Katherine probably couldn't be bothered with a phone call from the school. Might interrupt her hair appointment."

Damon had a way of making her empathize with him. But she did not give into it. Instead, she grabbed the pen from him and added her phone number and a signature. "I would be happy to help" she told him, handing the paper back.

"Oh look, Elena and my husband" Katherine quipped, leaning against the doorframe. "One brother isn't enough for you?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. Her eyes sparkled with intent.

"Was one enough for you?" Elena challenged. Katherine's eyes challenged Elena back. So Elena stepped towards her. "Damon had me added to Lily's emergency contact list. Not that you care or that it is any of your business, but that's what we were doing" Elena said evenly.

Katherine grimaced as she looked past Elena to Damon. "I don't want her on that list" she said, warning Damon that bad things would happen if he did not remove Elena from it.

Damon just chuckled. "Well Katherine, we don't always get what we want. I know that's a hard concept for you" he added.

Katherine huffed. "Damon, Sweetie" she said, calming herself, though Elena could tell that she was seething underneath. "Take her off the list" she warned again.

"Katherine, Sweetie" Damon mocked. "Why don't you go and get yourself a drink" he suggested. "Maybe a few pills to wash down with it."

"I'm going to go and find Stefan" Elena said, not wanting to be in the line of fire. Damon and Katherine were full on glaring at each other now.

"Are you sleeping with her?" she said, demanding to know. Damon laughed and Elena felt her anxiety make an appearance. They had kissed. Did that count as cheating?

"No, she's sleeping with me" they all heard. Stefan walked past Katherine to Elena. "There a problem here?" he asked, wrapping his arm around Elena.

"No, no. Just Katherine's usual theatrics" Damon stated. Katherine stomped her foot and stormed off. "She'll get over it" Damon said. "You two have fun with Lily. Drop her off anytime on Sunday" he said, leaving the room.

When he was out of earshot, Stefan rubbed Elena's shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Elena nodded. "Yeah. Is Lily ready?" she asked, wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Stefan nodded. "Yep. Come on, you can help me get her bags" he told her, leading her to a staircase.

"Bags?" Elena asked, following him. "How many does she have?" It was a two night stay, after all.

"When I left her room a few minutes ago, she had six. I'm willing to bet that she has packed at least two more since then" he smiled, pulling Elena under his arm as they walked side by side.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan logged off of his computer and smiled when he heard laughter coming from upstairs. Elena had agreed to occupy Lily while he got a little bit of work done. It seemed that they were having plenty of fun without him as he climbed the stairs. Their laughter continued. Stefan pushed the door open to Lily's room and found it to be dark, except for the two lamps that provided some light in the room.

Stefan smiled when he saw the makeshift fort in the middle of the bedroom. Blankets and sheets were hung over chairs. There was even a colorful piece of paper hung on the front of the fort stating that no boys were allowed. He could hear Elena reading to Lily. But what touched him the most was hearing Elena encourage Lily to read to her and helping her when she got stuck. Then Lily and Elena would giggle before going back to reading.

"No boys allowed?" Stefan asked, making his presence known.

"No!" Lily and Elena both shouted.

"That's too bad. I guess you don't want the cookies downstairs that I baked earlier" he said.

He heard mumbling and he thought it might be Elena and Lily discussing. "Okay Uncle Stefan" he heard Lily say. "You can come in if you bring the cookies with you" she negotiated.

Stefan grinned as he walked towards the fort and pulled the sheet open to look in. He could see Elena and Lily huddled together with a book open. "How about you go and get the cookies while I wait here and kiss Elena?" he suggested.

Lily's eyes got big. "Eew yucky!" she screeched, crawling out of the fort and running out of the room.

"Great. You've scarred her for life" Elena laughed.

Stefan moved into the fort, advancing on Elena before she could protest. "Good" he smiled, kissing her. "Boys shouldn't be a problem then" he added.

"You're terrible" Elena mumbled against his lips.

"So I've heard" he replied, pushing her backwards into the blankets as he kissed down her neck. Elena counted the minutes in her head, trying to decide when to stop her make out session with Stefan. Lily beat her to it.

"Are you done kissing?" Lily asked cautiously from outside the room.

Elena pushed on Stefan's chest and sat up, fixing her shirt in the process. "Yep, all done" Elena called out to her.

Lily padded into the room and approached with the plate of chocolate chip cookies. Stefan grabbed it from her as she crawled in and found her spot next to Elena again. Stefan passed them out and everyone remained in a comfortable silence.

"Uncle Stefan, when is Elena gonna have a baby in her tummy?" she asked, munching away on her cookie.

Stefan and Elena both choked on the cookie they were eating. "What?" Stefan asked her, his eyes wide with worry.

"When is Elena gonna have a baby in her tummy?" Lily repeated, turning to pat Elena's stomach. "David in my class said that when you kiss a girl, a baby goes in her tummy" she explained to him.

"Well, that's not quite how it works" Stefan said, clearly uncomfortable with this topic.

"Then how does the baby get in Elena's tummy?" she asked, turning her full attention to Stefan.

"Oh God, it's happening" Stefan said, wiping the sweat off of his head. He thought he wouldn't have to have this conversation with Lily until … never.

Elena found the entire situation hilarious, but she decided to put Stefan out of his misery. "Lily, honey, there isn't going to be a baby in my tummy any time soon" she assured her.

"Why not?" Lily asked.

"Because … because I have to finish school" Elena answered.

"Okay" Lily nodded. "So when you finish school, how is the baby going to get in your tummy?" she asked.

Elena cursed inside her head. The kid was relentless. "Well …" Elena trailed off.

"Two people have to really love each other" Stefan explained, knowing it was very far from the truth in some instances. Elena smiled at Stefan's answer.

"But you do really love Elena" Lily said sincerely as she looked up at Stefan with her big brown eyes. "And Elena loves you" she added.

Stefan's eyes met Elena's for a moment before she looked away. "Yeah, but then both people have to really want a baby" he said, feeling guilty because he knew that he would probably never want one. "Hey, how about you go downstairs and grab a couple of juice boxes" Stefan said, deciding he was done trying to explain what he couldn't. The fact that he knew Elena wanted children and a real marriage and he didn't.

"Okay" she said, putting her cookie in her mouth and crawling out of the fort.

As soon as Lily left the room, Stefan cursed under his breath. "I really wish she would ask her father about this stuff" Stefan sighed.

Elena smiled. "It's okay. She's just curious" she said. "Maybe tomorrow night she'll ask about drugs" Elena smirked.

"Very funny" Stefan said, though he did smile. He fell back on the blankets and closed his eyes. Then he opened his eyes in alarm. "We're … not at risk of … putting a baby in your tummy, are we?" he asked, using Lily's words carefully.

Elena laughed. "No. Trust me, no" she assured him. "I'm being careful in that department" she added. Very careful, because the last thing she needed in her life right now was to be pregnant.

Stefan sighed. "Good to know" he replied.

Elena patted his stomach before resting her head on his chest. "We should get a puppy though" she told him.

"No" Stefan said flatly. "It will piss all over my Persian rug and eat my good shoes" he stated.

"Good" she said. "That rug is ugly and you need new shoes."

"Elena?" Stefan asked. "Stop talking with Caroline. She's rubbing off on you" he told her.

Elena simply smiled. So maybe she had been talking to Caroline on the phone a little more often. It was nice to have some girl talk every now and then. "It's nice to do girl talk" she told him.

"I could totally do girl talk too" he told her. "Like, did you see what that girl was wearing? That was so like, two months ago. Like, OMG" he said in his best valley girl voice he could come up with.

Elena laughed as she sat up. "You are too much sometimes" she told him, shaking her head.

"And, like, that guy? He was totally pretending not to look at me, but he totally like so was" he continued.

"I'm going to help Lily" Elena said, crawling out of the tent.

"Like, seriously? OMG Elena" he called after her, increasing the valley girl accent. He heard Elena laugh though as she left the room. He stared up at the top of the fort, enjoying the temporary quiet. But, he realized, it was too quiet.

And then, he heard Lily's shrieking call, calling out Elena's name in panic.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I am so overwhelmed by all of the reviews. You all seriously rock! **

**I also love all the Twitter feedback! Thank you all for getting on there and reminding me to update. Sometimes I need that little extra push!**

Stefan had only heard that specific scream come from Lily one other time when Lily was four and had fallen off of a chair. She hadn't been too badly hurt, but the fall had scared her.

Stefan rushed out of the fort, knocking it down in the process and scattering the chairs. He nearly tripped as he flew down the stairs towards the kitchen. When Stefan arrived in the kitchen, he saw Elena and Lily frozen stiff, both staring down at a pile of glass on the floor. Stefan noticed right away the rock lying nearby. He looked up and saw the kitchen window broken where the rock had gone through. Stefan glanced back at Lily and saw the tears falling down her cheeks and her breathing beginning to catch up with her. Then he looked at Elena who was clearly panicking, but trying to stay calm for Lily's sake.

Stefan let a slow, calming breath out as he forced his mind to work again. "Lily, Babe" he said slowly, walking towards her and holding his arms out as he did. "Come here" he said, finally reaching her. He picked her up and held her with one arm as he moved around the mess of glass to Elena. "Elena" he said, touching her arm. Nothing. It was as if she wasn't even there. "Elena" he tried again, squeezing her arm until she looked up at him. She knew that he saw the panic in her eyes and felt her shaking as he touched her.

Stefan kept one arm around Elena as well as he led them all back up the stairs. Lily was full on sobbing by this point as Stefan got them into his room. "Okay, Lily, I need you to stay with Elena, okay?" he asked, passing Lily off to her. Elena took Lily numbly into her arms, barely taking in her crying. "Elena, stay here" he told her. "Lock the door" he added, heading back out. Elena fumbled with the lock on the bedroom door, but she finally got it.

"Uncle Stefan!" Lily yelled, pulling away from Elena. Elena snapped back to reality, bringing Lily over to the bed. She sat down with her and held her close.

"It's okay, shhh" she told her, rocking her in her arms. "Your Uncle Stefan is just going to go and clean up the glass. Everything is going to be okay" she said soothingly. Lily seemed to respond to Elena finally and after a while, she was quiet. Elena looked down and saw that she had cried herself to sleep. Carefully, Elena set Lily on the bed and pulled a blanket over her. She brushed a few strands of brown curls out of her face. Then, Elena moved off of the bed and began pacing nervously, wringing her hands as she did.

She replayed the incident over in her head. She and Lily had been laughing about Stefan and then a loud shattering noise, followed by glass flying, had happened. Elena had watched Lily jump and scream out her name in panic. And Elena had just froze. She hadn't tried to go to Lily and protect her. This realization brought on a quiet sob as Elena placed her hand over her mouth.

Elena jumped at the sound of a quiet knock. "It's me" Stefan said. She quickly went to the door and unlocked it for him. Stefan poked his head in. "She okay?" he asked, looking towards Lily.

"She's asleep" Elena answered, not really sure if that is what he wanted to hear. Stefan motioned for Elena to follow him just outside of the room so they would not disturb Lily. Elena noticed that Stefan had something in his hand. "What's that?" she asked cautiously.

Stefan avoided her eyes when he spoke. "It is the note that was attached to the rock" Stefan told her. Elena reached for the piece of paper, but Stefan pulled it away from her. He didn't want her to read it. "Go and get ready for bed. I'm going to look around one more time" he told her.

"What does it say?" Elena asked sadly. She knew that whatever that note said, it was not good. Stefan shifted his weight uncomfortably. "Stefan?" she asked. "What does it say?" she repeated. Stefan still remained quiet, so she grabbed it out of his hands before he could pull it away again. She opened it and scanned the words. Consequences. Death. Stefan. Those three words caught her attention the most.

Stefan watched Elena's face closely as she stared at the paper. He wasn't even sure that she was reading it anymore so he took it out of her hands and crumpled it up. "I'm not afraid of him" Stefan told her, referring to the threat of Stefan being killed if Elena did not go back to Derrick. It didn't really faze Stefan. He had been threatened before by guys far more powerful than Derrick.

Stefan watched as the fearful expression on Elena's face turned to one of anger. "Well you should be!" she snapped at him. "He threw a rock through your window with a note saying he would kill you if I didn't leave you and go back with him!" she continued. When that didn't seem to have an impact on Stefan, she added one more thing. "Lily was standing right there, Stefan" she added. She watched it have some effect on Stefan. "She was terrified and I just stood there!" she yelled.

Stefan remained calm. "You were scared too" he said, trying to justify her reaction.

Elena was set to argue some more when they heard Lily calling out for them. Stefan stepped around Elena and opened the door. Lily was standing up on the bed looking a bit sleepy and a lot concerned. "Uncle Stefan" Lily said, holding her arms out to him. Stefan didn't hesitate to grab her.

"It's okay" he said, kissing her hair. "It was just a rock that hit the window" he said calmly, though he was eyeing Elena carefully. "I'm going to go and cover up the window. Can you go with Elena and get your pajamas on and get ready for bed?" he asked.

"Yeah" Lily said, nodding weakly. Stefan passed her off to Elena before heading back downstairs. "That was scary" Lily said, laying her head on Elena's shoulder.

Elena sighed. "It was scary" Elena agreed. "But everything is okay. I'm going to make sure of it" she said. "Let's go and get you changed for bed" Elena said, taking her back down the hall to her room with her bags. Lily had decided on wearing the pony pajamas. She began chatting away about the ponies as Elena braided her hair. Lily continued to chat as Elena set her on the bathroom sink and helped her brush her teeth.

Elena didn't think twice about putting Lily to bed with her and Stefan. Lily had burrowed herself under the covers next to Elena. She smiled brightly when Stefan came in, locking the door behind them and turning the light off. "Uncle Stefan I have my pony pajamas!" she exclaimed, standing up on the bed to show him.

Stefan smiled as he grabbed her, lifting her up in the air and causing her to laugh. "I bought you those" Stefan reminded her, laying her back down in the bed as he got in too. "Go to sleep" he smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Okay" she sighed. "Goodnight Uncle Stefan" she said, wrapping her little arms around his neck and kissing his cheek. Then she turned around. "Goodnight Elena" she said, wrapping her arms around her and kissing her cheek too.

"Goodnight" Elena said, hugging her back. Lily let go of her and settled in between both of them. She closed her eyes and yawned.

Stefan reached his hand over and grabbed Elena's hand. He couldn't see her, but he felt Elena pull her hand away from his.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Naps. Thank God she took them. Elena quietly shut the bedroom door, careful not to wake Lily. Since the moment Lily had woken up, she had been talking nonstop. Elena had hardly seen Stefan all day. If she did, he was on his phone talking with people about security.

She walked down the stairs in search of him, finding him in the kitchen, staring out the broken window. Broken windows held a sad and painful memory for him and she knew that. Elena watched him for a moment, remembering how she had pulled away from him the night before. She hadn't meant to. It was just hard for her to let people be there for her sometimes. "Where's Lily?" he asked, sensing that she was behind him.

"Taking a nap" Elena said, stepping closer to him. She took a slow, deep breath before speaking again. "Is that what you're doing?" she asked. "Trying to save me because you couldn't save her?"

Stefan felt a hitch in his breathing, but he took his time in working through it so he could answer her. "I don't know what you're talking about" he told her. "I have more calls to make" he said, turning to leave.

But Elena grabbed ahold of his arm and he stopped. "Damon told me. About your parents" she said, searching his eyes for something. Anything.

Stefan laughed slightly. "And what exactly did Damon tell you?" he asked.

"That your dad pushed your mom through a window" she said, watching his eyes flash with some sort of recognition. "How did they die?" she asked, feeling her voice cracking. She almost felt like it was none of her business. But then she remembered how painful it is to keep things like this to yourself for so long.

Stefan held her eyes with his, trying to decide on whether or not to tell her. She looked so sincere though with her sad brown eyes penetrating into his and her gentle hand on his arm. "My mother overdosed on her anti-depressants and my father then shot himself" Stefan answered flatly. He turned away from her, not trusting himself to keep his tears at bay. He hated thinking about it.

Elena processed what he had just said. It was tragic. She had hated him in the beginning for a life she thought he had when all along, his life had been terrible. "I'm sorry" she said, not knowing what else to say. Then she remembered. "I thought about killing myself too" she said, trying to let him understand that it wasn't his fault. None of it was. It was the situation she and his mother had been in.

Stefan quickly wiped at a tear threatening to escape. "I'm glad you didn't" he told her, continuing to stare out the window.

Elena moved herself in front of him and placed her hands on his sides. "I'm glad too" she said, giving him a small smile as he looked down at her. She reached up on her toes and kissed him softly. "You're better than him. You're better than most" she said, giving him one last small smile of encouragement before leaving.

Stefan turned around and watched her leave, though her words stayed with him. He wasn't like his father. And he sure as hell wasn't like Derrick. He never wanted to be.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena checked on Lily before heading to her old room. She sat down on the bed and stared at her phone, trying to talk herself into making the call.

Then she did it, pressing the send button and biting her fingernail as she anxiously waits. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. "Hello?" a voice asks.

She paused momentarily to register that it was actually him on the other line. Hey Jer" she said nervously.

"Elena?" Jeremy asked. She heard a door shut and thought he must have gone into the other room. "Is everything alright?" he asked as though that was the only reason for her to call.

It hurts though, knowing that he probably spends so much time worrying about her. "Yeah, I'm good" she said, trying to sound cheerful. "How are you guys?" she asked. She got a one-worded response and knew he doesn't want to talk. "Look, Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks and I was thinking that maybe you and Bonnie might like to fly back here and spend it with me" she said.

There was a long pause. "Bonnie and I made plans to spend Thanksgiving together, here" he replied.

Elena didn't know how else she was going to go about convincing him without mentioning Stefan. "There's someone I would like you guys to meet though" she said, hearing complete silence on his end. "I … I got married."

More silence. Then, a critical laugh erupted. "You're joking. Tell me you're joking" he said, not believing her.

"No. His name is Stefan" she said, attempting to not let his criticism bring her down. But it was. She always cared about how Jeremy thought about her. And he hadn't thought very well of her since she met Derrick. "And I would really like for you to meet him."

"Are you really that stupid, Elena?" Jeremy asked, suddenly angry with her. "You get out of one bad relationship and then jump into another one legally?" he questioned.

"It isn't like that. Stefan is a good guy" she explained, feeling the tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"Yeah, I bet. Just like Derrick loved you and cared about you, right Elena?" he asked.

Elena closed her eyes as tears fell down her cheeks. "It would mean a lot to me if you would come spend Thanksgiving with us. I'll send you tickets. I'll either see you or I won't" she said quickly, hanging up her phone. She took a long deep breath to calm herself. She hadn't expected the conversation to go very well. Yet, she had hoped that it would have ended with him agreeing to come and see her.

**A/N: So, will Jeremy and/or Bonnie come to Thanksgiving? And where oh where is Derrick?**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Woo! I got an update in. I lost an hour of writing due to an awesome episode of The Vampire Diaries tonight. I love family bonding. Original style ;)**

**So, for this chapter, as you might notice, I skipped ahead a few weeks. Just wanted to point that out.**

**Thank you for your lovely reviews! Please let me know what you think about this chapter. **

Thanksgiving was in one day. And Stefan had been stressing about it since the beginning of the month. There was still no answer from Jeremy about whether or not he and Bonnie would be coming to visit. Elena never called again to ask, and she was even more unwilling to talk to Stefan about it. So, Stefan was preparing as if Jeremy and Bonnie would show up. Because if they did, he was going to make sure they had a great time. For Elena's sake. Although she really had no interest in hearing him talk about the plans, he had told her that he would make dinner for her, Jeremy, Bonnie, and himself on Thanksgiving Day. His Uncle Zach, Alaric, and Caroline were flying in the day after and Damon had taken it upon himself to invite everyone to dinner at his house. Stefan was going to play it by ear on whether or not he would drag Elena and her brother and friend over to Damon's.

But the thought was also in the back of his mind that Jeremy and Bonnie wouldn't show up. It crossed his mind how hurt Elena would be, even though she said she didn't care one way or another if they showed. If they didn't show up, Stefan had planned on still enjoying dinner with Elena.

His thoughts were brought back to the present when he heard a bag hit the bottom of the cart he was pushing. Sour gummy worms. Stefan sighed. "That's not on the list, Lily" Stefan told her, stopping the cart.

Lily looked up at him adoringly. "But I want them" she said.

"We don't need them" Stefan said, grabbing the bag of candy from out of the cart. How he had gotten roped in to taking Lily shopping with him, he had no idea. He just wanted to get the items on his list for Thanksgiving dinner and get home.

"But I love you Uncle Stefan" she said in her most innocent, adoring voice she had.

Stefan hated that. Absolutely hated that. How in the hell could he say no to that? He couldn't. And damnit, she knew it. "Fine" he said, tossing the bag back in. Lily smiled triumphantly as she held onto the side of the cart and walked along. Stefan grabbed a can of pumpkin mix and added it in. Lily decided to add a bag of Oreos to the cart. "Lily" Stefan warned. Yes, he was the fun uncle. But that didn't mean he wanted her eating all that junk.

"But I'm gonna share with Elena" she said, smiling up at him. "They're her favorite. She told me" she added.

Stefan sighed. "Okay, but only because they are her favorite" Stefan said, figuring this was not Lily winning. This was Elena winning.

"You like making Elena happy, don't you Uncle Stefan?" she asked, adding a package of chocolate chip cookies along her way. Stefan didn't even bother saying anything. She would win in the end.

"I do like making Elena happy" Stefan told her, rounding the corner towards the frozen turkeys.

Lily remained silent for a moment. "I don't think Mommy makes Daddy happy anymore" she said, causing Stefan to stop.

"Why do you say that?" he asked her, bending down to her level.

Lily frowned as she looked at the floor. "They are always fighting and then Mommy leaves" she told him sadly. "I wanna come live with you and Elena" she added.

Stefan took her hands in his and squeezed them, getting her to look at him. "I'm sorry that your parents aren't being very nice to each other" he told her softly. "But it has nothing to do with you, okay?" he asked. Lily nodded. "You can call me any time you need to. And I'll come and get you. You know that" he told her. Again, Lily nodded. "How about we get pizza for lunch?" he asked. That got her to smile. Stefan pulled her into a hug and held her tight.

It made his heart hurt to think that Damon and Katherine were doing this to Lily. Stefan knew that Damon and Katherine were a disaster. He had just hoped that Damon would work a little harder to hide it from Lily.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan leaned against the bathroom doorway, his arms crossed, as he watched Elena take the braid out of her hair and comb her fingers through it. He had learned to love watching her get ready for bed. It was nice to see her get out of her makeup and just be herself.

She saw Stefan in the mirror staring at her. "I'll be out in a moment" she said, realizing she was taking up a lot of the time in the bathroom. His bathroom.

Stefan shrugged. "There's no hurry" he told her, walking the rest of the way in. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Can I talk to you about something?" he asked.

Elena smiled. "Of course" she said, continuing to stare at him through the mirror.

Stefan sighed. "Today Lily told me that Damon and Katherine have been fighting a lot lately. In front of her" he explained. "And I don't know what to do" he added. "I worry about her."

Elena leaned her head against his. "You should try talking to Damon. Maybe he can talk to Lily and try a little harder to not expose her to any of that" Elena suggested.

Stefan nodded. "I could try that. But he's not much for me giving him parenting advice" he replied.

It was Elena's turn to sigh. "Brothers suck" she said.

"No word from yours?" he asked. Elena shook her head no, avoiding eye-contact with him. "Hey" he said, turning her around to face him. "Whether he shows tomorrow or not, you've still got me" he said, nuzzling the crook of her neck before kissing her.

"Better than nothing I suppose" she said and he could hear the smile in her voice. "But if you wanted to, you could take my mind off of things" she suggested.

His head flew up so he could look at her. Then he grinned. "I think I can definitely take your mind off of things" he said. He picked her up suddenly and tossed her over his shoulder. She laughed all the way to the bed as he dropped her on the mattress and fell on top of her. He reached over and fumbled with the switch on the lamp and finally got it turned off.

Elena continued to laugh as he attempted to get her clothes off in the dark. "You are terrible at this" she told him, sitting up and helping him get her shirt off.

He was already pushing her back down, kissing her. "Maybe I don't get enough practice" he mumbled against her lips.

"Excuses" she said, pressing on his shoulders and flipping them over before attacking his lips again. He didn't seem to mind their new position, especially not when she was kissing down his chest. It drove him crazy actually, but he kind of liked the effect she had on him. Elena smiled when she heard him groan from impatience.

"Elena" he breathed out. Elena sat up and stared at him for a moment with a silly smile on her face. He sat up too, his arms finding their way around her. "You're amazing" he breathed heavily, kissing her shoulder.

Elena felt herself blush at the comment. The simple comment that made her feel special. "It's nice to hear someone say that" she said, resting her head against his.

Stefan grabbed her face in his hands gently, staring into her eyes. He could see in her eyes, so many years of being told she was worthless, no good. How anyone could do that, he would never know. Of course she wasn't perfect. But she was a lot closer to perfection than he was. "I want to hear you say it" he told her. She looked at him curiously, not quite sure what he was asking. "Say that you're amazing" he told her, stroking her cheek lightly.

And then Elena smiled, realizing what he was doing. "I'm amazing" she said softly.

"I can't hear you" he said.

Elena smiled even bigger. "I'm amazing!" she said even louder, earning her a long, passionate kiss from him.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

It was 4:00 AM. Elena hadn't slept well all night. Neither had Stefan with her constant tossing and turning. When she began to turn yet again, he grabbed her, stilling her movement. "Elena, you have to stop moving" he said groggily.

Elena sighed. "I'm sorry" she said. She was nervous and anxious and she could not calm her mind or her body. "I'm thirsty" she finally said.

"I'll go get you some water" he said, flipping the covers off of him and getting out of bed. It took him until he was halfway down the stairs before he realized that she had gotten him to offer to go and get her water without even asking. He grumbled about this all the way back up to the bedroom. He found Elena sitting up in bed with the lights on and a textbook open. "No, Elena. No" Stefan said, setting the water down and grabbing her book from her. She glared at him. "Elena. It is four in the morning. We have a huge dinner to start preparing later this morning. So we need to sleep right now" he explained.

"I can't sleep Stefan" she told him, picking at the sheets. She couldn't stop thinking about her brother and Bonnie and whether or not they would show up.

Stefan grabbed her hands. "Whatever happens today, whether they show up or not, I'm here for you, okay?" he told her. She nodded reluctantly. "Now please, try and go back to bed" he said, leaning over her and turning the light off. He got back in bed and closed his eyes. But Elena remained awake.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan sipped his coffee, glad it was doing its job and he was feeling awake. Elena was still upstairs getting ready and Stefan had about half an hour before he had to start preparing for dinner. He sat down and began reading the newsletter from his family's company, but a knock on the front door made him get back up.

Stefan opened the door and stood looking at a familiar face. Well, as familiar as it could be from looking at an old picture Elena had of her brother in her room. "Jeremy I presume?" Stefan asked with a genuine smile. "It's nice to finally meet you" Stefan said, extending his hand.

Stefan wasn't expecting Jeremy to accept his hand, seeing as how he did not look pleased to see Stefan. But Stefan was not expecting Jeremy's fist to come crashing into his jaw, sending him to the ground. Jeremy stood over Stefan, tossing two pieces of paper at him. "I don't need your charity" he said angrily, referring to the plane tickets Stefan had sent Jeremy and Bonnie. "You may have my sister fooled, but I don't trust you for a second" he spat at him.

Stefan wiped at the blood coming from the corner of his lip. "I think we should start over here, Jeremy" Stefan said, sitting up.

"I think you need to give my sister a divorce before I beat your ass" Jeremy warned.

"Jeremy!" Elena yelled, running across the room towards Stefan. "What is wrong with you?" she asked, kneeling next to Stefan and examining his face.

"What's wrong with me?" Jeremy asked in disbelief. "What's wrong with you, Elena?" he asked angrily. "Was Derrick not a big enough mistake? You had to go and jump into another one with some rich playboy who doesn't give a damn about you?" he practically yelled at her.

Elena stood up and faced her brother for the first time in many years. "You do not get to treat me like some petulant child who can't make her own decisions!" she yelled back at him. "You don't even know Stefan, yet you show up here, on THANKSGIVING, and start throwing punches?" she scolded him. "He is a good person who knows about my situation with Derrick. Who has been doing a whole hell of a lot more than he needs to to keep me safe from Derrick. And who went out of his way to make today perfect for my little brother and my best friend!" she screamed.

"Elena …" Jeremy tried to argue. He saw how angry she was, something he hadn't seen in a long time. There was no fear in her eyes anymore. No submissiveness or defeat. She looked downright pissed. "Just come back with us" Jeremy said, his tone calmer and his voice almost pleading with her.

"Us?" Elena asked. It was then that Elena saw Bonnie slowly emerge from the rental car parked in the driveway. Aside from her hair being a little shorter, she hadn't changed a bit. "Bonnie?" Elena asked, stepping around Jeremy to really make sure that it was her. Though she was crying now, Bonnie still managed to smile as she ran towards Elena, meeting her halfway.

They embraced tightly, neither one of them willing to let the other go. "God I've missed you!" Bonnie squealed.

When they did eventually pull away slightly, Elena was crying too. "I can't believe you're here" Elena said, wiping unsuccessfully at her tears.

Bonnie glanced over at Jeremy and saw Stefan slowly getting up off of the ground. Then she looked back at Elena. "He's cute" she said, trying to make the best out of a bad situation like she always did. Then she grabbed her face gently and examined it. "No bruises" she half laughed, half cried. "I like him already" she got out before she was full on crying again at the memory of what Elena had gone through with Derrick.

Elena pulled Bonnie back into a hug and held her close. "He's amazing, Bonnie" she said, looking back at Stefan. "He's the best."

Bonnie pulled away and nodded her head. It was then that she noticed Jeremy walking towards them. Although he had cooled down some, he still looked slightly confused and upset. He had come over expecting to kick some guy's ass because he clearly deserved it. Now he wasn't so sure. "I'm going back to the hotel" he said, walking past them. He figured Bonnie would want to stay.

"Jer don't" Elena said, catching his arm. But he twisted it out of her grasp. "Please, stay here" she said, trying to keep her tears in check.

"We need to talk. All of us" Bonnie added, hoping she could convince him.

"You two can talk all you want. I'm still leaving tomorrow morning" he said flatly, turning to leave once again.

"Jeremy!" Elena called after him, attempting to go and get him.

"Just let him be" Bonnie said, giving her a small reassuring smile. "He just needs some space." Elena nodded, though she still flinched at the sound of the car door slamming. "Come on now, introduce me to this husband of yours" she said, tugging on Elena's arm. Elena reluctantly went with her.

Elena noticed that Stefan had grabbed a tissue and was dabbing at his lip. The bleeding had stopped for the most part. Stefan smiled at Bonnie as she approached. He extended his hand and when she did the same, he held onto it. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you Bonnie" he said. "I'm Stefan."

Bonnie felt herself blush. "Nice to meet you too, Stefan" she said. She took her hand back, realizing that this charming and handsome man was married to her best friend. It would not be polite to drool all over herself in Elena's presence. "I'm sorry about Jeremy. He's usually a little more friendly" she said.

Stefan waved it off. "I probably would have done the same thing" he told her. "Please, come in" he said, stepping aside.

Bonnie stepped inside and about blurted out everything she was thinking in that moment. The house was huge. Exquisite. Like something she had never seen before. "This place is amazing" she said finally, spinning in slow circles as she admired it.

"Thank you" Stefan said. "It has been in my family for quite a while." He checked his watch quickly, realizing that he had to get dinner prepared. "Elena, why don't you show her to the room we got ready for them. I'm going to get dinner started" he said.

"You don't want any help?" Elena asked, feeling guilty not only that her brother just punched him, but because he was going to make the whole dinner by himself.

"Really Elena?" Bonnie asked, raising her eyebrow. "The last thing we need is for you to burn the house down" she said, laughing at the memory.

"Does this have anything to do with why I have never seen you cook?" Stefan asked, turning to Elena with quite an amused look on his face.

This made Elena smile, though she was trying to be defensive. "We should go upstairs" she said, diverting from having to answer Stefan's question.

"The fire department showed up" Bonnie got out before Elena could drag her away. "I haven't been able to eat blueberry muffins since!" she yelled from halfway up the stairs.

Stefan chuckled lightly as he went back into the kitchen.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A few hours later, Stefan went upstairs to find the girls sitting on the bed, chatting away. He knocked before coming in. "I have to run to the store. You'll be okay here?" he asked. Elena nodded.

"I won't let her near the kitchen" Bonnie said, stealing a sideways glance at Elena who was shaking her head.

Stefan smiled. "I appreciate that Bonnie" he said. "I'll be back in a little bit" he added before leaving.

Stefan found himself pulling into the parking lot of the only hotel in Mystic Falls. So maybe telling the girls that he was going to the store was a little bit of a lie. He just felt that he needed to talk to Jeremy and resolve a few things. He knocked on the door that Jeremy's rental car was parked in front of.

Jeremy answered the door with a beer in his left hand. When he saw Stefan, he looked amused. "Looks like I didn't do too much damage" he said, examining the tiny mark on the corner of Stefan's lip. "Shame" he added, shutting the door.

Stefan blocked the door with his hand. "I came here to talk" he said, wondering if he would have to push Jeremy over to get in. "And I'm not leaving until we do" he added. Jeremy grumbled before letting go of the door and walking back towards his bed. He sat down and took another swig of his beer. Stefan shut the door and walked in, admiring the tacky, worn down interior of the hotel.

"I don't have all night. Talk" Jeremy said, finishing off his beer.

"I'm not here to convince you that I'm the perfect guy for Elena" Stefan started out. Jeremy looked somewhat surprised. "We need to talk about Derrick" Stefan said, leaning against the dresser in the room.

"There's nothing to talk about. He's not worth my time" Jeremy said, reaching over to grab another beer.

Stefan wondered how many Jeremy needed before he would be completely wasted. "He found Elena, Jeremy" Stefan said, shifting his weight some. "He knows she's here. He got to her at work. And he threw a rock through my kitchen window last month. Elena and my six year old niece were standing right there" he explained. Jeremy looked up at Stefan slowly with a hardened look on his face. "Something has to be done. I refuse to let him be a threat."

"Did the note threaten Elena?" Jeremy asked, tightening his grip on his beer bottle.

Stefan shook his head. "No. He threatened to kill me if she didn't go back to him." Then Stefan sighed when he saw the worried look on Jeremy's face. "I'm not worried about me" he told him honestly. "I'm worried about her. And despite what you might think of me, I'm trying to protect her. That's the only thing that matters right now. So stop being a jerk to her" he said, pushing off from the dresser. He gave Jeremy one last look before leaving.

"Wait" Jeremy said, staring at his hands. Stefan turned around, waiting for Jeremy to continue. He looked nervous. "I'm scared he's going to hurt her again" he admitted. "And like last time, I won't be here to help her." Stefan walked back towards him and sat on the other bed facing him. "If I hadn't had to spend so much time in the hospital after the accident …" he said, having trouble finishing his sentence. "I wasn't there for her, and that's why she met Derrick. I'm the reason she went through all that" he added quietly.

Stefan nodded. Guilt. He recognized it. Because he felt it too with his own mother. "I can sit here and tell you it wasn't your fault" Stefan said. Jeremy looked up at him cautiously. "But you are going to believe what you have to right now. What I do know for sure, is that Elena loves you. So trust her to make her own choices from here on out, okay?" he told him. "She got away from him. She's graduating soon. She has goals and dreams. Just, talk to her. Figure out how to handle your guilt without it being taken out on her" he finished before standing up to leave.

Stefan was almost out the door when he heard Jeremy speak again. "Is your offer for Thanksgiving dinner still good?" he asked.

Stefan smiled as he stared out the door. "Yeah. Just … tell the girls I found you at the store" he said before walking out.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Thank you all for hanging in there. I appreciate you all!**

**Ummm … tonight's episode? Holy wow! I am inspired to write after watching that. Once again, Paul and Nina were fantastic. **

**Okay, on with the story! Let me know what you think ;) **

"I can't believe you get to live here" Bonnie said as she and Elena came back downstairs. "This place is INSANE" she added.

Elena smiled at her friend's enthusiasm. "You get used to it, trust me" she told her. And although Elena was ecstatic that Bonnie was there with her, the fact that Elena hadn't told her the truth about her arrangement with Stefan was eating away at her. To be honest, she wasn't even sure she would tell Bonnie or Jeremy.

"Yeah I bet" Bonnie said, rolling her eyes. "You do know how ridiculously hot he is, right?" she asked, bumping into Elena as they walked.

Elena blushed at the thought. He really was ridiculously good looking.

But then another nagging feeling took over her. "Bonnie" she said, stopping. "I'm really sorry you weren't invited to the wedding" she said, looking down at her own feet. "It just all happened so fast and …" she began, but Bonnie cut her off.

"Stop, Elena" she said, grabbing her hands and giving her a reassuring smile. "You're happy. That's all I care about" she said. "I don't blame you for snatching Stefan up as quickly as you could" she winked.

Elena smiled sadly, almost ready to cry all over again. "How did I get so lucky to have a friend like you?" she asked. "After how I treated you when I was with Derrick. Everything I said, I didn't mean it."

Bonnie shook her head. "It doesn't matter. You're not with him anymore" Bonnie reminded. She saw the guilty look on Elena's face and frowned. "You're my best friend, Elena. I could never stay mad at you" she smiled softly.

"I love you so much" Elena said, pulling Bonnie into a hug.

"I love you too" Bonnie said. Both girls pulled away when they head the door open.

Elena smiled when she saw Stefan, and then was surprised when she saw Jeremy walk in behind him. "Look who I found at the grocery store" Stefan grinned.

"Where is the stuff you bought?" Elena asked, placing her hands on her hips. She was very well aware that Stefan did not go to the store, though she was still going to give him a hard time about it.

"Ah, that's for me to know and you to find out" he said, wincing as he realized that was a line he picked up from his niece. "Bonnie, do you want to help me in the kitchen? The turkey should almost be ready" he added.

"Of course" Bonnie said, following him. She smiled at Jeremy as she passed by him.

Jeremy and Elena stood there awkwardly for a few minutes just staring at each other. "Do you want to go for a walk?" Elena asked. Jeremy nodded. "Good. I'll show you the horses."

Jeremy walked silently alongside Elena as she talked about what she had been up to lately. Jeremy wasn't really paying attention though. He was stuck on some other thought. "Stefan told me Derrick knows where you are" he blurted out, interrupting Elena. "Is this true?"

Elena stopped abruptly. "Yes" she answered. "But it's not like I tried very hard to hide. I practically married into the wealthiest family in the state" she added.

"He's dangerous, Elena" Jeremy reminded. "You need to go to the police."

Elena sighed. "I already told you. That won't do any good. I never reported him. And even if I had, he has family working in the police department. Nothing ever would have happened to Derrick" she reminded.

"Okay, so come back with us to California" Jeremy told her, seriousness taking over his face. "Derrick will have a much harder time finding you over there."

Elena took note of the desperate tone he had taken. "Jer, I can't. What about school?" she asked him. She was almost done. She couldn't stop now. But that was not what was on her mind the most. "What about Stefan?" she asked, her voice softening at the mention of his name.

"Right, Stefan" Jeremy said, beginning to walk again.

Elena caught up with him. "He's a good guy, Jer" Elena said. "He's done a lot for me. He's been there for me" she smiled softly, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out.

"And I haven't" he said, kicking a small rock across the path. "All I did was drive us so far into debt that we lost everything. And you had nowhere to turn but to Derrick. And then I abandoned you" he told regretfully.

"Do you blame yourself?" she asked, her voice raising as she began to connect the dots. "None of this was your fault, Jeremy" she said, grabbing his arm. "The accident, it happened. And yeah, we lost … a lot. But I made the choice to be with Derrick. I made the choice to stay with him" she said, feeling the tears well up in her eyes and threaten to spill at the mention of the accident.

"I should have never left you" Jeremy said, shaking his head.

"I knew Jer, that if I would have called you, you would have been there for me in an instant" she said, giving him a reassuring smile as she wiped at her tears. "I love you so much, and I don't want this to come between us. I don't want anything to come between us."

Jeremy nodded, doing his best to not cry himself. He pulled Elena into a hug. "I love you too" he said. They hugged each other tight as they stood there in silence. "I'm sorry I punched your husband" he added.

Elena couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her. "You're lucky he didn't punch back" Elena replied. Jeremy silently agreed with her. "Come on" she said, pulling away from him. "I'll show you the horses."

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Bonnie leaned against the counter and watched as Stefan worked with precision, placing the food just so on the serving platters. "Are you sure I can't do anything to help?" she asked.

Stefan looked up and smiled at her. "No. I'm almost done anyway" he said, going back to what he was doing. She continued to stare at him. "I'm getting the feeling that you want to ask me something" he said, shooting her a friendly, yet knowing glance.

"Elena said it was your idea to invite us to Thanksgiving. She said you wanted to meet us" Bonnie mentioned.

Stefan nodded as he grabbed a couple of serving utensils. "You two are the most important people in her life. I thought I should get to know you" he answered. "Will you grab the salads?" he asked, figuring she could help him now. Bonnie grabbed the two bowels and followed him out to the elaborately decorated dining table. "Elena knows everyone I love" he added, walking with Bonnie back to the kitchen.

"Her self-confidence is almost back" Bonnie smiled, grabbing the rolls and butter while Stefan grabbed the turkey. "When we were growing up, she was fierce. Nothing could stop her. And then the accident happened. Derrick happened, and she lost most of it" Bonnie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "It's coming back though" she assured him and herself.

"You know, the first time I met her? She slammed me into a wall and twisted my arm behind my back" Stefan said, laughing at the memory as he and Bonnie continued to set the table.

"She didn't?" Bonnie asked in surprise.

"She did" he said. He wished he could have told Bonnie that it was in that moment that he fell madly in love with her. But it wasn't.

"You're good for her" Bonnie said, resting her hands on the back of one of the chairs. "She's happy. Happier than I have seen her in a long time."

"She's good for me, too" he admitted, feeling a pang of guilt in his heart because he knew that Elena held hope for a future with him and he was hanging back, seeing where the relationship would go. It wasn't fair to her.

Bonnie noticed a framed photo sitting on the mantle above the fireplace just then. "Who is this?" she asked, taking it down and observing it.

Stefan smiled as he approached. "My niece, Lily. You'll meet her tomorrow." The single most important person in his life. Well, one out of two now since Elena entered the picture.

"She's beautiful" Bonnie said, replacing the photo.

"Thank you" Stefan told her. "She's a great kid. She loves Elena, too" he added.

"It's hard not to love Elena" Bonnie smiled.

Stefan nodded. "Yeah, it is."

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Dinner had been going better than Elena could have ever expected. Both Jeremy and Bonnie were engaging in a friendly conversation with Stefan. Elena remained quiet for the most part, but she smiled as she observed the interactions. Every once in a while, Stefan would slide his hand across Elena's lap and grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he talked with the other two.

When dinner had been eaten and dessert was brought out, Stefan decided that he wanted some juicy facts on Elena. Specifically, her childhood. "So, Jeremy and Bonnie, you both grew up with Elena. What can you tell me about her that she absolutely would not want me to know?" he asked.

"Stefan!" Elena exclaimed, grabbing his arm in protest. "They're not going to tell you anything" she informed him.

Bonnie and Jeremy looked at each other and grinned. "Should we tell him about that one time she had a sleepover?" Jeremy asked. Bonnie nodded, not bothering to stifle a laugh as she remembered it.

"Don't you dare!" Elena warned. Even 12 years later, it was still embarrassing.

"So I came over to Elena's for a sleepover" Bonnie began as Elena buried her face in her hands. "We were 12 and we were watching this scary movie that came on T.V."

"It was like, around midnight" Jeremy continued with the story. "I came downstairs and Elena and Bonnie were in their sleeping bags, freaking out about this movie. So, I snuck up behind them and screamed like the girl in the movie was doing. I scared Elena so bad …"

"She peed her pants!" Bonnie blurted out, not being able to contain her excitement for the story any longer. Bonnie and Jeremy were practically falling out of their chairs laughing at the memory.

Stefan couldn't help but laugh either. He turned and saw that Elena was turning red. "Aww, it's okay Honey. Don't be embarrassed" he said, trying to calm his laugh that could not be calmed.

"I had too much juice that night!" Elena argued.

"Yeah, blame the juice" Jeremy said, grabbing his stomach as he began to calm down. "We should totally tell Stefan about the time the peacock bit her in the ass" Jeremy mentioned, again bursting into laughter.

Although Elena was now the center of attention for the remainder of the night, she didn't mind after the fifth embarrassing story about her. A little wine helped, of course. The important thing was, everyone was having a good time.

Stefan was the first to head up to bed, stating that he was tired, but really, wanting to give the three of them some more time alone. Stefan couldn't help but notice how happy Elena was the entire night. Her smile was infectious not only for him, but for the others as well.

It was about half an hour later when he heard Elena come in. She was extra quiet, not wanting to wake him. She slipped out of her clothes and pulled a tank top on. Slowly, she crawled into bed. A smile hit her face instantly as she felt his hand rest on her stomach. His fingers lightly caressed her skin, causing her to giggle softly. She turned to face him and smiled. "Hi" she whispered.

"Hi" he whispered back, kissing the tip of her nose, her cheek, her chin, and finally, her lips. It was slow and sensual and perfect for the moment. The perfect ending to the perfect day.

When Stefan ended the kiss and rested his forehead against hers, she tangled her legs with his, bringing him even closer. ""Thank you for today" she whispered. "It was perfect."

"I'm glad it was everything you hoped it would be" he told her, caressing her skin once again.

Elena giggled softly once again. "That tickles" she said, grabbing his hand.

Stefan smiled. "I know" he told her, running his other hand underneath her shirt. Elena sighed, liking that touch much more. "How does that feel?" he asked in her ear.

Elena closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip. "Good" she told him. "Amazing."

Stefan kissed just behind her ear and smiled. "Good" he said, moving his hands to her back and letting them lazily run downwards. Once he got to her backside, his hands slowly caressed there as well.

Elena laughed. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Stefan lightly sucked on the bottom of her ear, gently running his teeth over the skin and then blowing on it soothingly. "Just making sure that peacock didn't leave any permanent damage" he said.

"What do you think?" she asked him in a playful, curious tone.

"Nope. Perfect" he said, moving his lips along her neck. "Completely perfect" he added, running his hands down the back of her legs.

"Glad you think so" she said, kissing his chest lazily. She thought he was kind of perfect, too.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan's fingers fumbled with the button on his dress shirt. He was also beginning to sweat some. Never in his life had he been nervous to go to his brother's house to dinner. But then again, never had he invited Elena's brother and best friend over to dinner at Damon's. "Damnit" he grumbled, taking a small relaxing breath before trying the button again. He just knew that Damon, but most likely Katherine, was going to embarrass him. If Stefan had liked Elena at the beginning, he would have never let her meet his brother and ex-girlfriend.

Elena came into the room, already dressed in a dark green dress that stopped at her knees. He had never seen it on her before, but he definitely approved. "Here" she said, walking to him and taking over the button for him. "Bonnie and Jeremy just got back" she said, finishing up the buttons for him. Her brother and Bonnie had gone to Bonnie's father's house to visit for a few hours. Elena had opted to stay with Stefan, even though they really hadn't spoken all day. Elena was just too much of a coward to face Bonnie's family after the way she stormed out of the house all those years ago. But Bonnie hadn't made that big of a deal about Elena staying back.

"We can always call and cancel" Stefan sighed, taking her hands in his.

"Your niece would be heartbroken" Elena smiled. "Your brother and Katherine aren't that bad" she reassured him. Stefan gave her a pointed look. "Never mind" she corrected. "My brother and Bonnie won't hold anything that happens tonight against you" she reassured him.

"I hope you're right" he sighed, bringing her hands up to his lips and kissing them quickly. "We should go. Damon gets kind of uptight when people are late." Elena nodded, grabbing her jacket and following Stefan out.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Katherine dried her hands on a towel as she looked around. She hadn't cooked so much food in … well … forever. Not since she was younger and spent the holidays with her family. She, Damon, and Lily usually spent Thanksgiving with Zach, therefore, she never had to cook anything but maybe a pie to bring. Damon had gone on and on for a week about how perfect this dinner had to be. Which made her all the more want to make it the worst Thanksgiving ever. But she was going to be the good little housewife. Because she would get to stare at Stefan all night.

Katherine picked up her glass of wine and took a long sip. All that was left to do was frost the cupcakes. Lily came bounding into the kitchen, looking for her father. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Katherine. "What?" Katherine asked, clearly not wanting to be inconvenienced.

"Where's Daddy?" she asked.

Katherine downed the rest of her wine and shrugged. "Don't know" she said, turning around. "Don't care" she added under her breath.

"What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"Cooking, what does it look like?" Katherine asked.

Lily shrugged. "Can I help?" she asked, walking towards Katherine.

Katherine sighed. Why couldn't the kid just leave her alone for five minutes? She looked down at her for a moment. "Can you frost a cupcake?" she asked.

Lily's eyes got wide as she realized that her mother for once was going to let her help. Lily nodded quickly. "Uncle Stefan lets me do it all the time!" she said excitedly.

"Alright" Katherine said, grabbing a spatula and the bowel of frosting. She grabbed Lily and lifted her up on the stool before passing her the spatula. "Go for it" Katherine said, taking a seat on the stool next to Lily.

Lily happily accepted the spatula and went to work on the first cupcake. She stared at it carefully, trying to judge if it needed more frosting and if so, where. "Is that good?" Lily asked.

Katherine looked at the cupcake closely. It was really good, actually. "Good" she said. "Stefan taught you well" she remarked.

Lily grabbed for another cupcake. "Uncle Stefan's gonna take me riding soon" she said, making conversation as she frosted. "You should come watch me ride Mommy. I'm really good" she said proudly.

Katherine smirked. "Of course you're good. You're my kid" she told her. Lily looked up at Katherine and smiled. It made Katherine a little uncomfortable. She wasn't good at being a mom. To make matters worse, she realized that Damon was leaning against the entrance way, watching them. "Just hurry up, okay?" Katherine said, standing up and walking away. Damon caught her elbow as she brushed by, stopping her momentarily. Whatever he wanted to say to her, Katherine gave him that look that she always gave him. The one that told him Lily was his kid and not hers. He let her go.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

Caroline, Alaric, and Zach beat Stefan and Elena to Damon's house. As usual, they had fought the entire plane ride and the entire car ride from the airport. Zach was about ready to cut his ears off if it meant he wouldn't have to hear those two fight.

Thankfully, Lily came bounding into the room with a big smile on her face. She was dressed in a dark purple silk dress with a bow in the back and a matching bow in her hair. She ran towards Zach, holding her arms up as she did. Zach scooped her up, glad to see someone who did not drive him insane. "Hi Beautiful" he greeted.

Lily smiled at the compliment. "Hi" she said. "Did you bring me anything?" she asked.

Zach smiled. "Don't I always?" he asked, pulling out a small paper bag from his pocket. Lily opened her mouth wide in surprise as she accepted the gift. "Not until after dinner" he whispered and she nodded knowingly. Zach put her down and Lily ran out of the room, up the stairs, and to her bedroom to deposit the cotton candy taffy that Zach had picked up from her favorite candy store in New York. She hid it in her draw before going back downstairs.

"I was not kicking your seat!" Alaric shouted, fed up with Caroline's insistent bitching. "Just because you dumped your water all over yourself on the plane doesn't mean you have to jump all over me!" he told her.

Zach downed his drink from the couch as the two continued. "You were kicking my seat because that is the type of immature jerk that you are!" Caroline yelled back. "I don't even know why you had to come. I don't want you here!"

"Well, I'm sorry Princess Caroline. But Stefan invited me too. So get over it" he told her. Caroline's face turned red as she clenched her fists.

"Would you two shut up already!" Lily said, walking into the room and throwing her hands up in frustration. "It's Thanksgiving. You're not supposed to fight" she scolded, pointing her finger at them.

"Zip it!" Caroline warned with an edge in her tone.

Lily looked at her in shock. How dare Caroline speak to her like that. "I'm telling Uncle Stefan" Lily told her smugly. "He's gonna be mad at you" she added before skipping out of the room.

Caroline looked back at Alaric who was now laughing. "I'm going to smack that laugh right off your face" she glared at him. "Ugh!" she huffed, leaving the room.

Alaric could hear Zach laughing from the couch. "So, when can I expect to attend the wedding?" he smiled.

Alaric groaned. "When Hell freezes over" he snapped, leaving the room in the opposite direction as Caroline.

**A/N: Dinner to be continued …**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: This is pretty short and not a whole lot of Stefan/Elena. But, it ties a few points together, so I felt it to be necessary. The next update will be longer and will have a lot of Stefan and Elena. You will see why after reading this ;)**

**Thank you all for the reviews and the tweets! TVDVampireKat**

Bonnie kept her comments to herself when they rolled up to Damon's house, but she did steal a glance at Elena, letting her know that this house was ridiculous too.

Stefan remained close to Elena as they walked. He was imagining every possible situation that would play out at dinner. All bad too. Bonnie and Jeremy walked hand in hand behind Stefan and Elena. Bonnie was still enthralled with the place and Jeremy was lost in thought.

It didn't take long for any of them to be interrupted from their thoughts and worries. Lily came running full speed down the walkway towards Stefan and Elena. "Uncle Stefan!" she squealed, jumping into his arms. "I've been waiting all day for you!" she told him.

Stefan smiled, forgetting all about his worries over his brother and Katherine. If there was one person he could count on to make this dinner bearable, it was Lily. "I've been waiting all day for you too" Stefan countered.

"I know" Lily said, scrunching her nose. "Who are they?" she asked, looking past Stefan to see two people she did not recognize.

Stefan turned around to face Jeremy and Bonnie. "Lily, this is Elena's brother, Jeremy, and her friend, Bonnie" he introduced. "They're visiting from California" he explained.

Lily's eyes got wide at the mention of where they were from. "Disneyland?" she asked excitedly.

Bonnie stepped forward, extending her hand to shake Lily's. "We live about an hour from Disneyland" Bonnie smiled.

Again, Lily's eyes got wide. "Can I come and live with you so I can go to Disneyland every day?" she asked.

Bonnie laughed at that. "I don't know if you could live with us, but maybe you could come for a visit. We live near the beach, too" she added.

"Please Uncle Stefan can I go?" she begged. "Please please please!" she continued. When Stefan didn't answer, Lily turned to Elena. "Please Elena?" she asked, giving her an adoring look.

"I don't know. What do you think Jeremy?" Elena asked, smiling at him.

Jeremy smiled. "Only if you can ride the fast, scary rides" he told Lily.

"I can!" Lily exclaimed. She wiggled out of Stefan's arms so she could stand in front of Jeremy and Bonnie. "Come on" she said, grabbing their hands and leading them towards the house. Both smiled as they looked at Stefan and Elena.

"I've told you she's adorable, right?" Elena asked.

Stefan smiled. "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me" Stefan told her, beginning to walk again towards the house. Elena thought that was the sweetest thing he could say. But then he stopped and looked back at her momentarily. "But she's not the only best thing anymore" he added, locking eyes with her before turning and continuing to walk.

Elena remained where she was, concentrating on his last words. Maybe she was reading too much into it, but she got the feeling that he just might have been talking about her. Her phone buzzed suddenly and she quickly grabbed for it, seeing that she had a new text message from Stefan. _I was totally talking about you, in case you didn't know that._ Elena smiled and pocketed her phone before heading inside.

"Hi, you must be Jeremy and Bonnie. I'm Damon" Damon said, introducing himself. "This is my wife, Katherine. And I see you've already met our daughter, Lily" he said.

"No time to talk Daddy. They're taking me to Disneyland so I gotta pack" she informed, pushing past him and leaving her two new friends behind.

"Elena, always nice to see you again" Damon said, being his charming self. Katherine resisted the temptation to make a gagging noise and opted instead to show her news guests around her home.

"Bonnie, Jeremy, let's get you a drink and I'll show you around before dinner" she said, leading them along with her.

"What's with her?" Stefan asked Damon. "What did you have to buy her this time to get her to behave? Another car?" he smirked.

Elena resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Stefan's childish behavior. "I'm going to go find Lily" she said, brushing past Stefan.

He watched her, trying to decide if he had pissed her off or not. Then he shrugged. Damon deserved it. "Well, always good to see you too, little brother" Damon said, slapping Stefan's shoulder before leaving the room.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

When Elena got up to Lily's room, she found the little girl sitting on the floor with a pile of clothes around her and a suitcase open. She was strategically folding and placing articles of clothing to make sure she was not forgetting anything. Elena smiled before joining her. "Is this enough clothes?" Lily asked, turning to look at Elena.

Elena nodded. "I think that is more than enough" she told her. "But, you aren't going right now. So you have plenty of time to pack" she added.

"But I want to go right now" Lily told her.

Elena realized that this could get ugly very fast if someone told her no. "You don't want to go right now" Elena told her, picking up a shirt and examining it.

"Why?" Lily asked.

"Because it is Thanksgiving vacation, which means lots of people are there" Elena explained. "The lines to go on the rides would be so long, you probably would never get to go on them"

Lily stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Okay" she said, pushing her suitcase aside.

"How about we go back downstairs and see if we can help out with dinner?" Elena suggested, standing up.

But Lily grabbed the bottom of Elena's dress to stop her. "Are you gonna leave?" she asked, looking up at Elena through her long eyelashes.

Elena bent back down next to her. "What are you talking about?" Elena asked softly.

Lily looked down at her hands now as she spoke. "I heard Daddy say that you don't love Uncle Stefan and that you're gonna leave in a few months" she said sadly.

Elena felt her cheeks burn at the mention of Damon still discussing her marriage to Stefan. To make things worse, now Lily was hearing these things.

Despite her anger, Elena smiled and grabbed Lily's hand. "I love your uncle, Lily" Elena assured her. It was the truth. But telling Lily that she was not going to leave might just turn out to be a lie. Elena still was unsure if Stefan would want to be with her in the near future. And if that was the case, she would have to leave and move on. "No one knows what will happen in the future, Lily. But that's not something you should worry about, okay?" Elena told her.

"Okay" Lily said sadly. She got up and went to her desk to color. Elena watched her for a few minutes before leaving. Her anger had boiled down to irritancy. She had warned Damon to stay out of her marriage. Damon obviously was choosing to not listen which was a problem for her.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Damon wandered into six different rooms before finding Caroline sitting at a window in the storage room. Her attention was fixated on the squirrels running around outside, trying to find bits of food to store for the winter. "Who are you hiding from?" Damon asked casually as he entered the room.

Caroline turned to acknowledge him and then turned back to the window. "I'm not hiding. I'm just cooling down. I'd hate to murder someone in your new home" Caroline told him. Although Damon was not Caroline's favorite person, she had known him since she was little, having spent a lot of time with Stefan. Therefore, she tolerated him.

Damon had always found himself thinking about her, more so as a friend than a little sister and then as a romantic interest when she got older. Then Katherine came along, but he had never stopped thinking about Caroline. "Alaric can be a real dick" Damon said, taking a seat on the windowsill with her.

Caroline laughed, wanting to remind Damon that he was one too, but she held back, neither in the mood to argue with him or belittle him. "I just …" she began, but then remembered who she was talking to. "Never mind" she said.

Damon studied her for a moment, realizing that she was trying to say something. "Whatever it is, you can tell me" he encouraged. Caroline looked at him, trying to decide if she should or not. "Not like I could tell anyone if I wanted to" he laughed slightly. "My wife can't stand me and Stefan hates my guts" he added.

Caroline looked at him sadly. She did know that. And she felt sorry for him, being trapped in a loveless marriage and never really gaining back the relationship with his brother that he once had. "I feel like I'm losing Stefan" she said, looking back out the window. "He's got Elena now. Which, don't get me wrong, I think she's great and Stefan is really happy, but my time that I get to spend with him is becoming less and less. And when I do get the chance, Alaric has to invite himself along too" she said. "And if I told Stefan any of this, he would just laugh it off and tell me I'm being ridiculous. And Alaric would call me spoiled and Elena would feel so incredibly guilty that I would feel terrible" she added. "Do you see my problem?" she asked, turning to look at him again.

Damon nodded. "I get it" he told her, empathizing with her. "I lost Stefan a long time ago" he said, looking out the window himself. "But Stefan really cares about you, so I don't think he'd call you ridiculous if you told him all of this" he told her.

Caroline nodded. "I just don't want to get in the way of him and Elena right now. You know? They're newlyweds and this is supposed to be a really happy time for them" she explained.

"I don't know about that" Damon said.

Caroline raised her eyebrow at him. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked him, suddenly defensive.

Damon thought about his options for answering. But he already knew what he was going to say. "Elena and I kissed" he answered.

Caroline was quite sure that she did not hear him correctly. "You what?" she asked in disbelief.

A movement from out of the corner of Damon's eye caught his attention. When he turned around, he saw Stefan standing in the doorway, clearly having heard what Damon had said. His jaw was locked. His eyes bore into Damon's. "Caroline, I need to talk to my brother, alone" he told her.

Caroline looked back and forth between the two brothers before quietly getting up and leaving. Stefan walked into the room a little further as Damon stood up. "It only proves that she doesn't love you Stefan. That this whole marriage is a hoax" Damon said.

Damon could see that Stefan was tensing up, becoming angrier as every moment passed. "It wasn't enough for you to take Katherine and Lily from me, but now you're trying to take Elena from me too?" he asked. Damon simply smirked, which resulted in Stefan punching him.

Damon picked himself up off of the floor, holding his jaw. "Feel better?" Damon asked. Stefan resisted the urge to hit him again. To make matters worse, Elena came walking into the room looking angry as hell. "Speaking of the Devil" Damon smiled.

"You son of a bitch!" she yelled, drawing her own arm back and smacking him hard across his face. "How dare you talk about me like that in front of Lily!" she continued. "You know nothing about the way I feel or my intentions!" Elena's breathing became rapid and she cursed herself for losing control. It was then that she noticed Stefan in the room with them. He was staring at her. Like he was trying to figure something out.

"Did you kiss Damon?" he asked, his voice sounding hurt. Elena immediately looked at Damon. "Why are you looking at him? I'm the one asking the question" Stefan said, his tone sounding a bit harsh for his own liking. "You know what, never mind" he said, his hands going up as he back away and left.

"Stefan, wait" Elena said, going after him. "Stop" she said, grabbing his arm. But he yanked it away from her.

"Don't touch me" he spat at her. "Just leave me alone" he said, walking away from her. Elena stood there helplessly as she watched him.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Thank you for the tour, Katherine" Bonnie said as they returned to the dining room.

"Well you are very welcome" Katherine smiled. It was a fake smile, but she was quite enjoying being completely fake with these new strangers. Truth be told, she could not stand Bonnie and Jeremy. They were in love and quite boring. "Why don't you two take your seats. I'll tell everyone we're ready."

They sat down and Jeremy grabbed Bonnie's hand, smiling at her. "She seems nice" he said. 

Bonnie laughed. "She's a total fake Jeremy" Bonnie said, shaking her head. Jeremy raised an eyebrow at her. "It's a girl thing. We know when people are being fake" she explained.

"If you say so" Jeremy said.

Lily was the first to join them. She climbed up into Jeremy's lap so she could gain the maximum attention from both of them. "Is there a baby in your tummy?" she asked Bonnie.

Bonnie was speechless for a moment. "No, Sweetie, there's no baby in my tummy" Bonnie said, laughing a little at the little girl's direct questioning. Bonnie could see a little bit of anxiety wash over Jeremy's face and so she made a face at him.

"Elena doesn't have a baby in her tummy either" Lily sighed, jumping down from Jeremy's lap and climbing into her own chair.

The other's began to join them at the table. Stefan was still not talking to Elena. Neither were talking to Damon. Even Caroline was quieter than usual. Alaric and Zach stole curious glances at one another, trying to figure out what was going on.

The food was passed to the left in complete silence. Even Lily was staying quiet. No one wanted to be the first one to talk. Though, Stefan and Elena did send deadly glares Damon's way and he returned them. Finally, Zach could not take it any longer. "Would someone like to explain what is going on?" he asked, holding his fork and knife in his hands.

No one answered and everyone avoided eye-contact with everyone else until Katherine began laughing. Then everyone looked at her. "What?" she asked. "For once, I had nothing to do with whatever you are all mad about" she smiled smugly.

Zach looked at her and sighed. She was clearly loving this. "Well?" he asked. "Is anyone going to speak up, or are we going to eat in silence?" he asked. Again, no one spoke up. "Bonnie, Jeremy. I apologize for my family's rudeness" he said, continuing to eat.

"The turkey is amazing" Bonnie said quickly, trying to break some of the awkwardness.

Katherine laughed again. "Well of course it is, Sweetie. Were you expecting otherwise?" she asked with a manipulative twist in her voice. Bonnie quickly looked back at her plate, suddenly regretting saying anything.

"Katherine" Zach warned. She smiled at him before rolling her eyes. He was no fun.

Damon glanced over at Lily and saw that she was pushing her green beans around on her plate. "Lily, stop playing and eat those" he told her.

"They're icky" Lily told him, scrunching up her nose.

"No they're not. Eat them" Damon told her, his tone daring her to argue with him one more time. He was usually patient with her, though right now, he had little patience for anything.

Stefan, still tense from earlier, dropped his silverware with more force than necessary. "She said she doesn't like them" he said, his voice strained as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"That so, little brother" Damon said, dropping his own silverware. "Last time I checked, I was her father. So why don't you let me do the parenting" he said, matching his brother's tone. "Eat them, Lily" he repeated. The entire table stopped breathing, waiting for the next move.

Stefan stood angrily and grabbed Lily's plate from her. He scraped the beans onto his own plate before giving Lily her plate back. "There, Lily" Stefan said, smirking at Damon.

Damon's jaw clenched tight. "Brother, let's step outside for a moment" Damon said, standing.

"You sure you want to talk to me or would you rather kiss my wife?" he asked, throwing that in both Damon and Elena's faces. All eyes were on Elena now who lowered her head, wishing she could vanish under the table.

Again, Katherine broke the silence by laughing. She stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine. "Happy freakin' Thanksgiving" she said, taking a long drink from the bottle before sauntering out of the room.

**A/N: So, how are Stefan and Elena going to handle this?**

**I've had some interest for Alaric and Caroline. Them as a couple was not my intention haha. But, maybe we see where it goes? Let me know your thoughts!**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Here it is! Please do let me know what you think. I read each and every review and Twitter comment : ) **

**Can you believe it? We have to wait until March 15****th****? For a new episode? And hopefully Stefan and Elena scenes? Gah! I am going to try and update a little more often to help us through it. No promises though. School likes to take a lot of my time.**

Stefan threw his napkin on the table and left. Caroline was the first to stand up to go after him, but Zach stopped her. "Let him be" he said, knowing full well that his nephew needed to cool down a bit. "Why don't we move this into the sitting room for desert, shall we?" he suggested, leading the way. Everyone reluctantly followed except Bonnie who stayed with Elena and Lily, who snuck out of the room a few seconds later. Elena sat quietly in her seat, still ashamed about everything. Bonnie stared at her for a long moment. "Whenever you're ready to talk" she said, grabbing Elena's hand and sitting with her quietly.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily wandered outside in search of her uncle, finding him almost immediately out back by the pond. He was sitting on a rock, picking at grass. Lily carefully crawled her way into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why did Daddy kiss Elena?" she asked. And then it hit Stefan just by the simple way that his niece had worded that question. Why had Damon, not Elena, done it? "Don't be mad at Elena" she said quietly.

If Stefan thought he could tell Lily how absolutely amazing she was in that moment, he probably would have. But all he really could do was keep himself from crying in front of her. It was stupid to cry over a girl. He knew that. "You shouldn't be out here worrying about me" he told her, holding her close. If anyone could talk some sense into him though, it was that six year old.

"You worry about me all the time" Lily told him. "Like, you worry if my socks match or if I got enough sprinkles on my ice cream" she explained.

Stefan laughed softly. Leave it to Lily, in all of her innocence, to make more sense than anyone around him right now. "Yeah, you're right" he said. "Why don't you go and get dessert before Alaric eats it all" he said, pulling away from her. Although he loved spending every minute with her that he could, he wanted to be alone right now.

Lily grabbed his face in her hands and looked into his eyes. "Can I go to Disneyland still?" she asked.

Stefan smiled. "I'll take you there myself" he promised. "Now go and get one of those cupcakes."

Lily crawled down and ran a few steps before turning back. "I love you Uncle Stefan" she said, a small smile appearing before she skipped off towards the house.

Stefan closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet. But it was short-lived. "Some family get-together" Katherine said as she made her way to him while holding a half empty bottle of bourbon. She took a seat on the same rock as him, their shoulders and legs touching. For once, Stefan really didn't care. "Want some?" she asked, holding the bottle out to him.

Stefan eyed the bottle before grabbing it and taking a long drink from it. When he was done, he held on to it. "You're not mad at Damon?" he asked her, looking over at her.

Katherine laughed. "Now why would I be mad about some silly little kiss?" she asked him. "I mean, come on, Stefan. It's not like they slept together" she smirked. "Which wouldn't bother me either, but I get the feeling that an extramarital affair might be a deal breaker for you."

Stefan shook his head. "Glad you think so lightly of this situation" Stefan told her. "I know Damon has been a monumental disappointment to you all these years."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "And Elena was your perfect little wife?" she asked, almost gagging at the thought. "Come on, Stefan. You're cute. And rich. Do you honestly think you will ever find a girl who really, truly loves you for you?" she asked. "You know, like love you for all the crap on the inside or whatever?" she asked, poking his chest.

"Can we not talk about this?" Stefan asked, clearly frustrated with her and her inability to filter what came out of her mouth.

"Fine" she said. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked him.

"Nothing" Stefan told her.

"Come on, Stefan. You and I used to talk for hours" she reminded him. Her favorite memory involved them sitting near the window of the home he had bought her, watching as the rain came down and they talked about what to name the baby.

Stefan remembered talking for hours about anything and everything with Katherine. "Yeah, we used to" he said, turning to look at Katherine for the first time without such blatant hostility. And Katherine picked up on it.

"I know I screwed up everything, Stefan" she said suddenly for the first time. It caught him off guard, that was for sure. "But I still love you" she said. "And I am always on your side. So, whatever you want to do about this situation …" she trailed off.

He looked over at her again and nodded his thanks. "I think I have to take care of this on my own" he said. "But thanks" he added.

"You know, I really admire you" she told him. He couldn't see why. Katherine never admired anyone but herself. "You have no obligation when it comes to Lily, yet you have been there for her since before she was born" Katherine told him.

"I love Lily more than anything" Stefan said, feeling oddly comfortable talking with Katherine about this.

"I know you do" Katherine nodded. "She feels the same about you. Never shuts up about you" Katherine smiled. "Uncle Stefan this, Uncle Stefan that. You're lucky you have that bond with her" she said, glancing down at the ground.

Stefan watched her – was suddenly aware of how vulnerable she had become in just a few minutes. "You could have that too, you know" Stefan said gently.

"No" Katherine said, dismissing the idea right away. "I wasn't meant to be a mother. She'd be better off without me."

Stefan sighed. "If you thought that, you would have left a long time ago" he told her. "It doesn't take much. All Lily wants is your time and attention." It really did not matter what you were doing when she was with you. Just being with you was what made her happy.

Katherine thought for a long moment about what he said. "She asked me to come and watch her ride" she mentioned as if she was actually considering it.

"Good" Stefan nodded. "That's a start. Come and watch her ride. You can ride too" he said, standing up. Katherine laughed at the idea of her riding some dirty animal. "Oh please" Stefan said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at her. "You took riding lessons for 15 years so don't even start" he warned.

Katherine smiled. "You are amazing at remembering things" she told him, having only mentioned her riding lessons once during their relationship. She stood and squeezed his arm lightly. "Too bad you weren't just as good at forgetting" she added before walking away from him. Stefan watched her until she was out of sight, trying to remember when the two of them had been able to be decent towards one another for more than a few seconds.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Wait, this marriage is fake?" Bonnie asked in disbelief after Elena had spent the past ten minutes explaining things to Bonnie in a roundabout way. "But you are all in love and stuff" Bonnie said, greatly confused.

Elena sighed. "I hated him when I first met him and when he presented this idea of marrying him so he could get his trust fund" she explained. "But then I moved in with him and we grew closer and then I kind of, sort of fell in love with him" she said, running a hand through her hair.

"Does he love you?" Bonnie asked. Because it sure as hell seemed that way.

"I don't know" Elena said, frustrated with the whole thing. The marriage. Stefan. Damon. Not to mention, Derrick. "Sometimes I think so. But he is nowhere near ready to commit to a relationship" Elena told her.

"Okay, so why marry Stefan for the money then? That is totally not you, Elena" Bonnie said, quite concerned.

"Because" Elena said, standing up and beginning to pace. "One million dollars, Bonnie. One million. Do you know what that could do for us? It would pay off your student loans. It would buy you and Jeremy a nice house. It would buy back my family's home so Jeremy could stop feeling so guilty for us having to sell it off to pay for his rehabilitation" she rattled off. "This was an unbelievable opportunity."

Bonnie stood and walked towards Elena, grabbing on to her arm. "Elena. Do you realize that everything you just said benefits Jeremy and me?" she asked. "What about you, Elena?" Bonnie pressed. "When do you get to be happy?"

Elena shook her head, fighting back the tears that she already knew were coming. "I don't deserve to be happy, Bonnie" she said, sinking to the floor and continuing to wipe at her tears. "All I do is screw up and hurt people. You and Jeremy deserve to be happy. You deserve to move on and live your lives" she said.

Bonnie sat down next to Elena and smiled sadly. "Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" she asked her. "You are such an amazing person. You know why? Because when life throws horrible things at you, you keep going. You might stumble and fall for a little while – we all do, but you get back up and you are stronger because of it. You deserve to be happy too, Elena. And if Stefan doesn't or can't make you happy, then get out of this marriage" she told her.

"But" Elena began.

"No" Bonnie said, holding up her hand. "You don't get to worry about me and Jeremy or Stefan. This is about you and what you need" Bonnie assured her.

"I made a commitment, Bonnie" Elena said. "I can't bail out now. It's only three more months. I can hang on until then" she said, wrapping her arms around her knees.

"But if you're not happy and Stefan is angry with you right now …" Bonnie continued.

But Elena just shook her head. "Stefan is a good person who has been hurt far more than he should have been" Elena explained. "He deserves to get his inheritance. That's all I have left to give him now" she said, weakly pulling herself up off of the ground. "I think it would be best if you and Jeremy went back to the hotel tonight" Elena said, drying her eyes some more.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked, uneasy about leaving Elena alone.

"Yeah" Elena said. "Stefan ad I have some things to discuss" she reminded.

Bonnie nodded reluctantly. "If you're sure" she said. "I'm going to go and find Jeremy and let him know" she said, giving Elena a long hug before she left the room.

Elena sat back down on the chair and closed her eyes. She was dreading the conversation she was about to have with Stefan. Surely he hated her by now. She couldn't imagine why he wouldn't. "Elena?" a quiet voice said, interrupting her thoughts. Lily. Elena opened her eyes and gave the little girl her best reassuring smile that everything was okay. "I brought you a cupcake" Lily said, handing Elena the plate. "I frosted it myself so it has lots of frosting" she explained.

"Thank you" Elena said, setting the plate down on the table next to her. "That was very thoughtful of you" she added.

Lily walked until she was face to face with Elena and could see that she had been crying. "Don't cry, Elena" Lily told her. "Uncle Stefan still loves you" she said reassuringly.

Elena tried to laugh, but tears came out instead. "I hope he does too" she told Lily. The thought of Stefan hating her was destroying.

"He does" Lily assured her, climbing up onto Elena's lap. "Because one time, I broke his favorite piece of glass art because I was playing ball in the house when I wasn't supposed to be and he got real mad at me, but he said he still loved me" she explained. Elena smiled sadly at her before leaning her head against hers. "And it costed lots of money too. Like, thousands of dollars and he said he couldn't buy another one. But he still took me out for ice cream, so I know he still loves me" she added.

Elena couldn't help but think that breaking an irreplaceable, expensive piece of art, would have been so much better than breaking Stefan's heart. "I see" Elena replied.

"Uncle Stefan lied to me, you know" Lily continued. "He said I was the only girl he was ever gonna love" she said. "But then he said told me that he loves you" she added.

"I'm sorry he lied to you" Elena said, unsure of what else to say to Lily.

"I'm not!" Lily exclaimed. "I'm glad he loves you too because that means you get to live with him which means I get to come over and spend time with you and stuff" she explained. "You are so much funner then Laura" Lily said.

"Who is Laura?" Elena asked cautiously.

"Like, the stupidest, meanest lady ever!" Lily huffed. "Uncle Stefan was with her for a week but then I said I didn't like her, so he got rid of her" she shrugged.

"He got rid of her, just like that" Elena said, more to herself than to Lily.

"Yeah, but I didn't like her" Lily repeated.

"One day you might not like me either" Elena told her sadly. That would truly break her heart.

Lily seemed to consider this for a minute. "Nah, I could never not like you, Elena" she giggled. "You better eat your cupcake before Alaric comes out and eats it" she told her before running out of the room.

Elena sighed once again as she sat in the room by herself. She could hear laughter in the other room, despite the awkwardness from earlier. She wondered where Stefan had gone off to.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Awkward could not even begin to describe the feeling in the air just after Elena had said her goodbyes to Jeremy and Bonnie. Stefan had gone upstairs without so much as saying a word to her, thought he did tell Jeremy and Bonnie to have a safe flight.

Elena now felt more alone than ever as she stood in the middle of the living area. It had taken every ounce of her strength not to jump in that car with her brother and go back to California with them.

But she couldn't. She would have to face Stefan sooner or later. And sooner it would be. Elena climbed the stairs, listening for any sounds he was making. But everything was silent. When she got to his room, she found the door wide open and Stefan sitting on the edge of the bed with his head lowered. He was spinning his wedding band around his finger.

Elena entered the room slowly and after debating for a few seconds about whether or not to sit or remain standing, she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry" she said, keeping her eyes on her hands.

"When did it happen?" Stefan asked, keeping his eyes locked on the wall ahead of them. He didn't even know why it really mattered.

"The day I had that run-in with Derrick. Damon came up to my room to talk to me and before I knew it, he leaned in and kissed me" she explained. "I told him it wasn't okay" she quickly added. "Because it didn't mean anything to me and I didn't let it go any further."

"Then why not tell me?" Stefan asked, standing up. "I don't understand why you wouldn't tell me!" he said, raising his voice. "Don't I deserve to know these things?" he asked her.

Elena finally forced herself to look at him. "Yes, you do" she told him honestly. "I have no excuse for not telling you. Only that, I'm sorry" she said, standing up.

"So I am" Stefan said, catching her off guard. She couldn't bring herself to ask what he meant, but he was more than willing to tell her. "What are we doing here, Elena?" he asked. "Because we're fooling ourselves if we think we can make this work."

Elena felt her eyes sting as she stood there and took in what he said. "So, we're back to our business deal then?" she asked, trying not to sound bitter. The deal where, no feelings were allowed.

Stefan nodded slowly. "We should have never let it go this far" he replied. "We have three more months until I can get to my inheritance. At that point, I see no reason for us to not go our separate ways" he stated.

Elena closed her eyes, feeling a few tears sneak out from under her eyelids as she processed what he was saying. He did not want to be with her anymore. At the end of the next three months, he wanted her gone. Maybe it was for the best. But that still didn't mean that it didn't hurt. Stefan hadn't expected Elena to cry. He thought she would have realized that this was for the best. Because it was for the best. "Okay" she said, taking in a small breath to try and calm herself. She didn't hesitate to leave his room, heading back down the hall to her own room.

Stefan leaned against his dresser and cursed. It wasn't supposed to be this hard. He was supposed to feel good about asserting his freedom. But somehow, he felt guilty.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena got in the shower almost immediately so she could cry without Stefan walking by and hearing her. She expected Stefan to be mad at her. She hadn't expected him to give up on her altogether. But maybe it was for the best. She would be a free woman come March and she could go wherever she wanted. This was a good thing, she told herself. But why did she feel like there was a hole in her heart now?

Half an hour later, she forced herself to get out of the shower and crawl into bed. She doubted that she could sleep, but at least she could close her eyes and try and forget about this day. She was interrupted though by her phone telling her that she had a new text message. She grabbed for it and checked it, figuring it was Bonnie checking in. But it wasn't.

It was Derrick. Elena opened the message, her fingers beginning to tremble. _Elena, I miss you. Please answer. You'll never know how sorry I am for what I did. We can start over. Xoxo_

Elena realized as she was getting out of bed that her first instinct was to go straight to Stefan with this text. But then she stopped herself. She didn't need to bother Stefan with this. Not anymore. Elena got back in bed and stared at her phone. Should she reply? No. But she did anyways. _Stop trying to contact me. I will call the police._ Satisfied, Elena sent the message.

It took less than a minute for him to reply. _I don't want any trouble. Just want to talk._

Elena began typing away on her phone. _Yeah? Talk about what? How you hurt me? How you say you got help?_ She hoped her text sounded as angry as she felt.

_I can't begin to apologize enough, Elena. I just ask that you hear me out. Just the two of us. Next Thursday at The Grill. One hour. I promise, just talking._

Elena was ready to turn her phone off and try and ignore him. But there was something dangerously intriguing about meeting with him. Maybe it was because Stefan would have disapproved if he had known. Maybe it was because she had nothing anymore. _Okay_. With that, she set her phone down and tried to sleep.

**A/N: So? Is this what you were expecting? Did Stefan act rationally? Was Lily adorable? Let me know! I will get working on the next update soon :) **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I know a few of you were not happy with Stefan or Elena. There is no interaction between them this update. But I hope you will still enjoy it and speculate what you think will happen next!**

Stupid. It was stupid to be sitting at The Grill, waiting to meet Derrick. Elena knew this. Yet, for some reason, she still came. She had wanted to beat Derrick there as if that would give her some kind of advantage. Not likely, but she told herself she would have it. The bus had dropped her off fifteen minutes early and her cheeks were still numb from walking in the chilling wind.

It had been easy to sneak out without Stefan knowing. He had thrown himself into his work the past week, barely even looking at her when they would on occasion pass by one another in the house. She tried to avoid him as much as possible. He seemed to do the same.

She had shut her bedroom door on the way out to meet Derrick to indicate that she did not want to be disturbed. Stefan's office door had been shut when she went to check on him. He was on a conference call and probably would be for the next hour or so. Besides, it wasn't like he was going to come check on her anyways.

Elena nervously kicked the table with her boot as she waited. Her old coworkers had come by, filling up her coffee cup and attempting to make small talk. But Elena was not into talking and the place got busy, demanding more of their time.

Elena made sure to have her phone out, just in case she needed to call 911. She doubted that Derrick would be stupid enough to make a scene in front of so many people though. When the bell over the door dinged, Elena felt herself stop breathing as Derrick smiled at her. It was an eerie smile. "You came" he said, brushing the snow off of his jacket before sitting down.

"I said I would, didn't I?" she tested. He didn't seem irritated or frustrated with her tone though. He just seemed happy that she was there. "Get on with it. What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked, feeling a sudden burst of confidence that she had no idea where it came from.

"Don't you want to order anything for lunch?" he asked, picking up the menu and pretending to be preoccupied with it. "How is the club sandwich here?" he asked.

"I didn't come to eat" Elena said sternly. "If you want to talk, you had best start talking." She stared him down for what seemed like a long time, but was probably only a few seconds. "You know what? This was a mistake. I shouldn't have come" Elena said, grabbing her purse and standing.

"Please, don't go" he said, reaching out to grab her arm, but quickly retracting it when he read her warning look. "I'm sorry. I'm just nervous is all" he told her. Elena sat back down reluctantly. Derrick pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and slid it across the table to her. "It is my graduation certificate. From an outpatient therapy program for drugs and alcohol and anger management" he explained. Elena picked up the certificate and examined it. "I did this, for you, Elena" he told her. "I love you. And I know that I messed up really bad in the past, but I want to fix it" he explained.

She was mad. Hurt. No, furious. Elena slammed the certificate down on the table. "Messed up?" she asked in disbelief. "Messed up, Derrick, might have been you forgetting my birthday or texting an ex-girlfriend behind my back!" she said, doing her best to keep her volume in check. But she was angry. "Messed up is not putting my face through a wall because I was too tired to cook or breaking my ribs because you saw me talking to some guy" she said, lowering her voice so others could not hear her, but making it well known to Derrick that she was enraged.

He just sat there, taking in her anger. "I know, Elena" he said calmly. "My therapist says …" he began, only to have Elena go off on him.

"I don't give a damn what your therapist says!" she spat at him. "You can't fix what happened. You, cannot be fixed!" she said angrily.

Derrick clenched his hands that were resting on the table. She was supposed to accept all the work he had done to get better. To be better for her. "You are the reason I went into treatment, Elena. I can change. I have changed" he told her.

"You know what I have learned these past few months?" she asked, ignoring his attempt to convince her that he had changed. Though she hated thinking about Stefan right now, she could not help it. "I learned that it is okay to disagree with someone you love. I learned that I don't have to be hit or kicked when I come home. Stefan showed me what it was like to live again. To be me. To be supported and loved" she said confidently. "I don't want back what I had with you, Derrick. I don't want you in my life!" she stated firmly before grabbing her purse and standing. "Stay away from me. Or I will take legal action" she warned.

Derrick stood this time too, facing her and staring at her closely. "I can't stay away from you" he told her, all pleading and regret having left his voice. She noticed the shift in his demeanor right away.

A chill ran through Elena, but she reminded herself that there were people nearby and that he couldn't hurt her. "Go tell it to your therapist" she said, moving to go around him.

But Derrick blocked her path again. "I didn't want to have to go this route Elena, but it seems that you have left me no choice" he said. He looked around to make sure no one would hear him. "That note I sent through the kitchen window? It wasn't a threat. I will kill Stefan" he explained to her. Elena felt her throat dry up at the thought. "So here is what you are going to do. Go back to his place. Pack your bag, and meet me at the old abandoned warehouse at the end of town. Don't tell anyone, Elena" he warned.

Elena struggled to swallow. "And if I don't show up?" Elena asked.

Derrick sighed. He hated that she had gained her defiance back. "I have someone sitting outside of Stefan's place right now with a sniper rifle. He's hidden and he has a clear shot on Stefan as we speak" he explained without even blinking. "All I have to do is send a quick text and you can start planning Stefan's funeral" he told her. Elena looked shocked in her frozen state, but he knew that she was still listening to him. "You can also explain to that little girl why her uncle had to die" he added.

Elena's eyes quickly shot up to Derricks. Lily. She couldn't lose her uncle. And Stefan. He didn't deserve to die because he happened to stumble across and marry the wrong girl. "When am I supposed to meet you?" she asked.

"Tomorrow" Derrick answered. "Five o'clock."

Elena shook her head. "That's too soon" she told him. Derrick pulled out his phone in a threatening manner. "Give me until Saturday" she negotiated. That would give her two days. Two days to prepare to leave. Two days to say goodbye without saying goodbye.

Derrick thought for a moment before nodding. "Saturday at five" he told her. "Don't do anything stupid in the meantime" he told her, stepping aside to let her leave.

Elena gave him one more cautious glance before she left. When she walked outside and hit the cold air, tears cascaded down her cheeks while she walked to the bus. She cursed herself for being so weak. She had come into this meeting with confidence and ended up leaving feeling just as powerless as she was when she was with Derrick. But she brought Derrick into Stefan's life. She therefore put Stefan's life at risk. It was her responsibility now to protect him.

Two days. Just two

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena's eyes closed tightly as the bitter tasting liquid ran down her throat. She wasn't even sure what she was drinking anymore. The bartender kept pouring her something every time she smacked her hand down on the counter. She was not completely drunk yet, but that was the goal. Tomorrow night, she would be leaving with Derrick. Stefan probably wouldn't even notice. Hell, she had been at the bar for over an hour and he had not come looking for her. The again, he would be in the city the next day meeting with important people for the company. By the time he got home, she'd be long gone. "Again" Elena said, slapping her hand down on the countertop.

Elena threw back the drink and stared on the empty glass. She wondered where Derrick would take her. And if she could still finish school. She was supposed to graduate in March. Would she be able to talk to Jeremy and Bonnie still? Probably not. Stefan would surely tell them what she had done and they would be furious with her. They would probably come looking for her. Stefan wouldn't though. He would be happy to be rid of her. He could file for divorce at the end of the six months, stating that she had abandoned him. But Lily. She was going to miss her. She would have to write her a goodbye letter.

"Well well, aren't you quite the drinker" someone said, taking the seat next to Elena at the bar.

Elena smiled, clearly feeling pretty darn good by this point. "Katherine!" she said, throwing her arms around her and almost knocking them both off of their stools. When she pulled away, Katherine had an amused look on her face. "Pour one for my friend too" Elena directed to the bartender.

"Friend?" Katherine asked, taking the glass and tipping it up towards Elena. That was a bold statement. "Cheers" she said, clinking glasses with Elena before downing her drink.

"Whooooo!" Elena yelled, setting her own glass down and smacking the table as the burning sensation coursed through her. "You know, I should do this more often" Elena said, sighing heavily. "It's nice to feel good for once" she smiled.

"Yeah, it does help" Katherine said, noting that Elena was much more tolerable when she was drinking. "So, what brings you here tonight?" Katherine asked, looking around for Stefan. "Where's Stefan?"

Elena laughed. "Stefan. Stefan Stefan Stefan" she repeated. "You really love him, don't you?" she asked, diverting away from Katherine's question. "God, I'm a bitch. Just swooped on in and took Stefan right from you" Elena said, smacking the table and indicating the she needed another drink.

Katherine signaled the bartender for another drink as well. "It's no secret that I still love Stefan" Katherine acknowledged. "He was my first love. You don't forget those" she added, throwing back her shot.

Elena threw hers back as well. "You know what?" she asked, turning towards Katherine while wiping at her mouth with her sleeve. "I'm going to do you a big, big favor" she told Katherine, poking her chin in her tipsy state.

"And what favor might that be?" Katherine asked, even more amused.

Elena giggled. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked. Katherine nodded. Elena then leaned in and whispered very loudly to Katherine. "I'm going to leave Stefan" she said before laughing so hard, she fell off of her stool. It was kind of funny, leaving a good guy for a bad one.

Katherine rolled her eyes. "You're not leaving Stefan" Katherine told her. "And get your ass up. You're embarrassing me" she added.

Elena clumsily crawled her way back up to her stool. "I am to leaving Stefan" Elena spit out.

"And why the hell would you do that?" Katherine asked. "You are set up for the rest of your life. You can have everything, and believe me, Stefan will give you everything" she explained. "Why would you leave all that?" Katherine questioned seriously. Then she questioned why she even cared. Elena leaving was one less obstacle to get Stefan back.

Elena suddenly became serious, even her laugh. She smacked the counter for another drink and downed it before answering. "Can you keep another secret?" she asked. Katherine again nodded, even leaning in closer to hear Elena. "I'm leaving town with Derrick" Elena said. "We're meeting up at the old abandoned warehouse at the end of town. Spooky, huh?" she asked.

Katherine's attention suddenly increased. "Who's Derrick?" she asked.

Elena rested her head on the counter. "My ex" Elena answered, closing her eyes. "Five o'clock tomorrow, I will be out of your life for good. And you can have Stefan back" Elena babbled.

"You still love your ex?" Katherine questioned.

Elena laughed slightly. "Doesn't matter" Elena told her. She stood up slowly and searched through her purse for some money for her tab. When she couldn't find any, she sat down on the floor, legs spread out, as she dumped the contents of her purse out on the floor.

Katherine took pity on her drunken state and paid the tab. "Come on. I'll call you a cab" Katherine said, grabbing her arm and dragging her up to a standing position. When Elena was finally up, she fell against Katherine and used her as someone to lean on while they walked out.

After Katherine called for a cab, she watched Elena spin in circles in the middle of the parking lot. "I'm dizzy" Elena giggled.

Katherine groaned. "That's what happens when you spin in circles" she said, quite irritated with her. "You're going to puke if you keep it up."

"You … are no fun" Elena said, pointing at Katherine before tipping over. So, she just laid there in the middle of the parking lot and looked up at the gray sky.

Katherine hid her face whenever bar patrons entered or left the bar. Elena was beyond embarrassing, especially when she started singing some Taylor Swift song that she clearly did not know the words to. Thank God Elena was skipping town tomorrow. And if Stefan was heartbroken over it, Katherine would be there for him, comforting him. She smiled at the thought.

**A/N: Thoughts? I am excited to write the next chapter!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Well, I was not expecting my story to take this route, but I think it was necessary to move it along. So, I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. **

**Thank you all for the reviews on the last update. There were a lot of them! I spent my whole morning reading them :)**

Derrick had a map splayed out before him on a pile of pallets, his cell phone proving useless with the lack of service in the old, rundown building. He had showed up early to get a head start on figuring out where he and Elena were headed to. It only made sense to head West. He had an aunt in Kansas that he figured they could stay with for a little bit until they could take off for Alaska. He had a cousin there who could get him a job on a boat. As he mapped out their destinations, he felt a surge of success course through him. He had done it. After all of these years, he had gotten Elena back. And he intended on keeping her.

A car door slamming shut distracted him from his plans. He tossed his pen down and checked his watch. 4:30 PM. Elena was thirty minutes early. That was alright with him. It would give them a little bit of a head start. Derrick leaned back against the stack of pallets, crossing his arms, and waiting for Elena to come inside. He knew that she was still upset with him. He also knew that it would pass because she really did love him underneath all that anger. When her figure appeared just inside the doorway, dark enough to not be seen, he smiled. "You're early. That will give us time to stop for dinner" he said.

As the figure emerged towards him and into the light, Derrick's face hardened. "You must be Derrick" the person said, continuing to walk towards him.

Derrick stood straight up and looked over this person walking towards him. Derrick was angry and he could feel his frustration beginning to get the better of him. He felt deceived. But he had to remain calm if his plan was to work out. "Where's Elena?" he asked, figuring that since this person knew who he was, it was a safe bet to ask.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena dotted the last sentence in her letter before signing her name and folding the paper in half. She left her letter to Stefan right beside the one she had written for Jeremy and Bonnie and Lily. Elena had asked Stefan to give them her letters, hoping that after his anger and hurt had subsided, he would do it. She had had to rewrite Stefan's a few times, either because her shaky hands messed something up or her tears made the ink run down the paper.

She looked around her room one last time, telling herself that she was not going to miss this place all that much, but knowing it was a complete lie. She loved this old house and everything in it. From the antique furniture to the memories she had made. Then, she grabbed her bag and headed on down the stairs.

She was going to have to hurry if she wanted to catch the bus. Elena placed her key on the table by the doorway and took a deep breath before opening the door to head out.

A small gasp escaped her as she stopped dead in her tracks. "Going somewhere?" the person asked.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

"Elena?" Stefan said, letting each syllable in her name ring in the air. Stefan looked around and even behind him. "Well, I uh … I don't see her. Do you?" he asked, finishing his question with a smile.

Derrick was not amused. At. All. "Will I be expecting Elena tonight?" Derrick asked, tired of beating around the bush.

Stefan's smile disappeared instantly. "No. Elena will not be present tonight" he answered. "I thought tonight might be better spent with the two of us having ourselves a little chat" he explained.

Derrick laughed at how ridiculous that sounded. "I don't have time to, chat, with you, Stefan, is it?" he asked. "You see, Elena and I have a long drive ahead of ourselves" he told Stefan.

Stefan took a step closer to Derrick. "Well, unfortunately, Elena will not be joining you on your road trip" Stefan informed. "She is married to me" he said, smiling once again. "And she has school to finish. That leaves little time for a road trip right now, wouldn't you agree?"

Derrick could feel his teeth grinding. The nerve of this guy. "You can't keep her away from me" Derrick warned, his tone turning threatening. He would be with Elena because he loved her. "I love her. And she loves me."

"Love" Stefan said, letting it fall off of his lips. "I think you and I have a very different definition of that word" Stefan said. "As for not being able to keep Elena away from you?" Stefan asked. "I have the means to take Elena away so you will never see her again" he said, taking another step towards Derrick, who watched him closely. "Something tells me you can't do that" Stefan said, nodding towards the map spread out behind Derrick.

"What do you want with her, huh?" Derrick asked, taking a step towards Stefan. "Once you get your money, then what? You're just going to toss her out. Do I have to wait until then before you're willing to let me have her?" Derrick asked.

Stefan finally closed the dangerous gap between them, making sure to look Derrick square in the eye. "Elena is not a thing to have. She is a person, perfectly capable of making her own decisions when she is not being threatened by an incompetent bastard like you." Stefan could see the anger begin to build in Derrick. It was only a matter of time before he exploded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked, cursing the shakiness in her voice.

Damon smiled. "I believe I asked you a question first" he told her.

"I'm just … going out. For a little bit" she said as casually as she could, though by the way he looked at her, he could see clearly that she was lying. But maybe, just maybe, Damon would let it go. Let her go. But no, that was too much to ask for.

"For a bit?" Damon asked. "As in, going to get a beer or going on a road trip?" Elena's face fell. She felt it and she felt his eyes on her, knowing that he had caught her. But how did he know? She racked her pounding, hung-over head for the answer. Damon decided to put her out of her misery. "If there is one thing you should know, it's that Katherine can't keep her mouth shut" he explained. The recognition showed across Elena's face. "You should never, ever tell her something you don't want repeated" he winked.

Panic set it. Her heart began to race. Her skin felt warm. "He'll kill him" she whispered, her eyes doing more talking than her words.

"Empty threats" Damon said, not impressed with Derrick's little letter that Stefan had told him about.

But Elena shook her head. She looked around behind Damon, scanning the property. "He's having this place watched. He has someone posted somewhere so he can shoot Stefan" she said, her voice quiet but still panicky.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her before pushing her back inside and locking the door. "Do you think he is serious?" Damon asked. Elena didn't answer, but stared blankly at him. "Elena is he serious?" he asked, shaking her some. Elena finally nodded. Damon grabbed her arm and ran towards the other side of the house to the safe in the wall Elena had noticed about a month ago. She watched Damon quickly open it and pull out a handgun. He checked to make sure it was loaded before locking the safe again. "Let's hope this supposed hit man has a better aim than me" Damon said.

Elena wrenched her arm free from his grasp. "There won't be any need for that because I'm doing exactly what Derrick wants" Elena told Damon.

"No, you're not" Damon told her. "I've got strict orders to not let you leave this house" he added.

"From who?" Elena spat at him. She could not understand why Damon was not understanding the seriousness of the situation.

Damon checked the safety on the gun before looking back up at her. "Stefan" he answered. Elena's eyes grew wide when she heard Damon's answer. Stefan was already in danger. "Katherine ran straight to Stefan with everything word you told her last night. Stefan called me and told me to keep you here while he …" he began, watching the panic increase in her with every word he spoke.

"He what?" Elena asked, needing Damon to finish his sentence. When he remained silent, Elena stepped forward and pushed him. "He what?" she said angrily.

Damon sighed. "While he met with Derrick at the warehouse instead" he answered.

Elena backed up once again, holding her head as she tried to convince herself that what she was hearing was all wrong. "No. No no" Elena said. "Derrick will kill Stefan. Don't you understand that?" she asked. "He'll kill him!" she yelled.

"Stefan can handle himself" Damon assured her. He took out his phone and before Elena knew it, he was making a call. "This is Damon Salvatore. I need you to do a security sweet of my brother's property. How soon can you be here?" he asked. "Uh huh. Okay. Thank you" he said before hanging up. He looked pointedly at Elena. "My job is to make sure you stay safe until Stefan gets back."

"No. I'm not going to stay here and wait for Stefan to be killed" she told Damon angrily. When she tried to walk away, Damon grabbed her arm. "Let go of me Damon" Elena warned.

"You're not going anywhere" Damon told her in a tone that let her know he was in no mood for her to be difficult.

Elena attempted to tug her arm away, but he held on. "Let. Me. Go" she warned again.

Damon set the gun down, knowing he was in for a bit of a struggle. Stefan had told him as much. "No" Damon told her, looking her directly in the eye. Damon ducked just before Elena's free hand, balled into a fist, came swinging at his face. He grabbed her and spun her around, securing her arms as he pushed her forward.

"Stop it, Damon!" she yelled. "He'll hurt him! Please, let me go!" she continued to yell as they descended down a set of stairs. Elena was fairly certain she knew where Damon was taking her. The cellar. It wasn't until the door had slammed shut on her that the reality of this situation sunk in.

Damon stared at her through the metal bars on the door. "It didn't have to be this way" Damon said, slowly leaving her sight.

Elena threw herself to the door, beating on the hard wood mercilessly. "Damon!" she screamed. "Please don't do this! He'll hurt Stefan! I have to leave! I have to!" she continued to scream. It wasn't until she felt her cheeks wet that she realized she was crying. Her hands began to throb from beating on the door.

A few more minutes and she had exhausted her. She sunk to the floor feeling defeated.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Is this you letting Elena make her own decisions?" Derrick asked. "Showing up here without her?" he asked.

"It wasn't her decision to show up here" Stefan told him. "It was yours. After you threatened her. Or me" he reminded.

Derrick's face tensed. "You've done nothing but put ideas into her head. Turning her against me" he said, disgusted with the thought of it. "But what I can't figure out it is, why you chose her. She's nothing compared to all those girls from the city" he added.

Stefan found it amusing that Derrick was trying to figure him out. "You're right" Stefan agreed. "She's nothing like those city girls I used to hang out with" he said. "She's so much more than them. She's amazing. She's got the biggest heart out of anyone I know. She's smart and beautiful" he explained. "And I'll be damned if I ever watch her throw herself away for you" he concluded.

Derrick's eyes glimmered with hostility. "I should have killed you when I had the chance" he told Stefan.

"But you couldn't" Stefan reminded him. "How else would you try and control Elena if you killed me?" he asked. "You've lost Elena now. So hey, go ahead. Kill me" Stefan said, coming face to face with him now. "It might make you feel better" he smirked.

Stefan felt himself forced backwards as Derrick shoved him. "Maybe I will kill you" he said, anger flashing in his eyes still. "And then I will watch Elena hate herself and blame herself for the rest of her miserable, sad, pathetic life" he said in such a hateful tone that it made Stefan want to kill him right then and there.

Stefan's face hardened, but he kept his composure. "Even if you kill me, my family will make sure you never see Elena again. And then, they will hunt you down and make you regret every single thing you did to cause Elena pain" he explained.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena could hear footsteps as she lay on the floor of the cellar, her cheek pressed against the cool cement. "Elena?" Damon asked, pushing the heavy door open. He appeared with a plate and a glass of water. "I brought you something to eat" he said, setting the plate and glass on a nearby table.

"When I first met him" Elena said quietly, still remaining where she was. "I hated him."

Damon sat down on the simple cot and looked at her lying helpless on the floor. He could tell that she had tired herself out. "Derrick?" he asked.

"Stefan" she said. "I gave him hell for so long. Because I thought he was just some stuck up, playboy who didn't care about anyone but himself" she added quietly. "I didn't know he would care about me" she said, feeling her eyes begin to burn. "I didn't know he would be everything I was looking for." Elena forced her arm to move so she could wipe at her tears with her sleeve.

Damon nodded. "Stefan is a good guy" Damon said. "Far better than me."

"Why did you do it?" Elena asked. "Katherine. Why did you do that to your brother?"

Damon sighed. "I loved her. And she made me believe that she loved me too" he said. "I didn't do it to hurt him. I did it because I thought Katherine was the girl I was supposed to spend the rest of my life with." He noticed Elena looking at him now. "I regret everything that happened with the three of us" he told her. "Except Lily. I don't regret her for one second." Then he smiled. "That's what makes Stefan so great. After everything Katherine and I put him through, he stuck around for Lily."

"He loves Lily" Elena said.

"I know" Damon said. He stood up and walked back towards the door. "He'll be okay" Damon told her as he stopped just before the door.

"Can you promise me that?" she asked Damon, hope filling her voice.

Damon could only look at her sadly, though. "You should eat something" he told her, shutting the door before he could watch her begin to cry.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"I don't like being threatened" Derrick warned. "I've given you an opportunity to back off. To let me take Elena and get out of this town. But you just can't seem to take a hint" he said.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "And what hint would that be?" he asked.

Derrick backed up a few steps and reached into the back of his pants. "That I always get what I want" Derrick said, bringing the gun into view. He held it up and pointed it at Stefan. "Anything you would like to say before I kill you?" he asked, cocking the gun.

Stefan swallowed. He hadn't really thought about Derrick having a gun. He actually hadn't thought much at all as he drove to meet him. All Stefan knew was that Elena couldn't be the one to show up here tonight. Because, he feared, if she had, he might never see her again. But it was okay now. Strangely, he was not scared. Because Elena would be taken care of. Damon had promised him. And he knew that Elena would be there for Lily. She had made a promise to Stefan too that night they were lying in bed together. Everything would be okay after his family got rid of Derrick. "I love her more than you ever could. Just know that" Stefan told him, closing his eyes. The last thing he wanted to see, just one more time, was Elena's face, smiling brightly as she laughed. It would take the pain away.

This last statement of course only angered Derrick more. "You're only mistake then, was loving her" Derrick said, pulling the trigger.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Damon took pity on her. It was almost midnight now and he knew she couldn't sleep on the floor. She hadn't moved during the last five times he had checked on her. To be honest, Damon was beginning to get worried. Stefan and he had agreed, no calling one another. Not until it was over. Until Stefan had gotten Derrick to back down. No distractions. But it was late and Stefan should have been back by now.

"Come on" Damon said, knowing Elena wasn't going to run now. But Elena remained where she was. "Elena" he said.

"He's not back yet" Elena said, her voice weaker than it had been the last time they talked. Every minute, she gave up another little sliver of hope that he would be okay. That Derrick wouldn't hurt him or kill him.

"You can't stay down here" Damon sighed. "Come on" he said, holding his hand out to her. Surprisingly, she took it and accepted his help up.

Elena climbed the stairs slowly, her legs feeling wobbly with each step. When she made it to the living room, she went to the couch, ready to lay down. But a knock at the door stopped her. She and Damon both looked at one another. Then, Damon walked to the door to answer it. Elena followed, though she remained a few feet behind him. She held her breath as Damon opened the door, not sure what to expect. "Good evening" the police officer said. "I'm looking for Mrs. Salvatore" he said. Elena was sure that her heart had stopped. Why would an officer show up at someone's house at midnight if it wasn't to give bad news?

"She's right here" Damon answered for her. "I'm Damon Salvatore" he introduced.

The officer nodded and looked past him to Elena. She was pale, shaking, and he was pretty sure she was going to collapse. "Mrs. Salvatore" the officer said, stepping into the house. "You're husband, Stefan, has been shot" he said.

Elena's hand went straight to her chest, feeling her heart began to race. Because she knew it. She knew this wouldn't end well. "Oh God" she said, beginning to panic. "Oh God" she said, beginning to cry. "No" she said, shaking her head.

The officer jumped in quickly. "The bullet grazed his shoulder. He's okay" the officer said, stepping to the side to reveal Stefan slowly making his way towards the door. "I'll be in touch" he said before walking back to his car.

Elena's eyes got wide at the sight of Stefan. He looked tired and in pain. But he was alive. "Thank God" Damon said, hugging his brother and ignoring Stefan's complaints about his shoulder hurting from Damon's hug. Damon didn't care. "You're an idiot, you know that?" Damon asked. "A damn lucky idiot."

Stefan nodded. "I know, but it's done" he said.

Damon pulled away from Stefan. "What happened?" Damon asked.

For the first time since he stepped into the house, Stefan looked at Elena. Took in her exhausted, broken form. As angry as he was with her, it broke is heart to see her like that. "He's dead, Elena" Stefan said, taking a few small steps towards her. "Derrick can't hurt you anymore" he said slowly.

"What happened?" Damon repeated from behind him.

But Stefan ignored him as he walked the last few steps to Elena. She forced herself to look up at him, to look into his eyes and face him. "He's really dead?" she whispered.

Stefan nodded. The look on her face brought tears to his eyes. The relief he saw. The freedom that lingered in her eyes. She didn't have to live her life in fear anymore. Elena was sobbing by the time Stefan pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight that he feared she might stop breathing. "It's okay" he whispered into her hair, feeling her fingers dig into his shirt in an attempt to hold on to him.

But Elena shook her head. No. It wasn't okay. He could have been killed instead. Elena pushed him away from her and Stefan noticed a whole new expression on her face. Anger. Betrayal. "It's not okay!" she yelled at him. "You were shot! You could have been killed!" she screamed.

"I was protecting you" he told her calmly. He hadn't expected her to be so angry with him this soon. He was the angry one. She had tried to put herself in danger.

"I didn't want you to protect me!" she cried. "I had made my decision. I was doing what I needed to do and you kept me from doing that!" she continued angrily.

Maybe it was exhaustion. Maybe it was the pain he was starting to feel from the medication wearing off for his shoulder. Whatever it was, he felt himself become angry, which is what he did not want. "He's dead, Elena!" he yelled at her, catching both her and Damon off guard. "I did what I had to do!" he yelled once more.

He regretted the yelling though after the fact. Elena looked hurt. Scared even. She didn't say anything. But her tears continued to talk for her. After a few moments, when the silence had become too much and the tears too little, Elena turned and ran up the stairs.

Stefan regretfully watched her leave. "She's overwhelmed" Damon said, coming up behind him. "We all are" he said quietly.

"Yeah" Stefan said, moving slowly to sit down on the couch. He looked at the bandage on his shoulder.

"So how did he end up dead and you shot?" Damon asked, grabbing a bottle of bourbon and pouring Stefan a glass.

Stefan took the glass without hesitating. "Right before he pulled the trigger, the officer shot him. That's why the bullet only grazed me" Stefan said, swirling the liquid in the glass before taking a drink. "The officer said he stopped by to check things out when he saw our cars parked."

"So you wouldn't be here right now if the officer hadn't shown up at the right moment" Damon said, thinking about that for a minute.

"Pretty much" Stefan concluded. He had had a few hours to think about that while he was waiting to get his shoulder looked at. "And you know what the crazy part is?" he asked. "I'd do it again, even knowing that the outcome could be far worse than it was tonight" Stefan said. Damon wanted to say something, but he didn't really know what to say to that. "I'm tired" Stefan said. "I'll call you tomorrow" he said, struggling to stand.

"Hey Stefan?" Damon said. "I'm glad you're alright."

Stefan nodded. "Thank you for taking care of her tonight" Stefan nodded before making his way slowly to his room.

**A/N: The next update will deal with the aftermath of this. Oh, and expect the return of Lily! **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: So, I realized that my timing is a little off for this story. I sort of forgot about the month of December! So, don't pay attention to the number of months Stefan and Elena have to go before they can divorce. March is the deadline though and also the time that Elena will graduate. Sorry about that. I try and stay on track but I got ahead of myself.**

**Also, I will be jumping ahead to March starting with the next chapter. It does not mean that the story is ending right now, but I want to move it along so I can get to my next idea which is really why I wrote the story in the first place! **

**Thank you again for all of your reviews on here and for all of you who chat with me on Twitter (TVDVampireKat). You all are so awesome! You keep me inspired! As always, let me know what you think.**

She was sleeping. Or at least, pretending to be. Stefan knew he couldn't sleep and was trying hard to fight the pain medication he didn't want to take. Stefan stared into the dark room, mentally battling with himself on whether or not to go inside her room and try and talk to her. He had calmed down considerably, though he knew if the chance arose, he would become angry again.

So he crept inside as quietly as he could, making his way to the bed she was sleeping in, or pretending to be. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady. Maybe she really was asleep.

He decided not to wake her and slowly turned to leave. But something on the end of her desk caught his attention. A small stack of paper. He reached for it and grabbed ahold of the paper before leaving. Once he was out of her room and had light to see, he found his name on one of the papers, followed by Lily's, Bonnie's, and Jeremy's on the others. Stefan walked back downstairs, needing a glass of water.

He sighed as he sat down at the counter, tossing the other three letters aside and opening the one addressed to him. He glanced over the writing briefly but tore his eyes away. He was not sure that he wanted to read it. He set it aside and stood up. Maybe he should try and sleep.

He made it three steps before turning around and going back to the counter. He had to read it. He needed to know what she was thinking. Stefan opened the paper and read.

_Stefan,_

_I know the words I write will never be enough to explain why I had to leave, but I knew that if I had to look into your eyes and tell you, I would never be able walk out the door. But I have to go and I hope one day, you can understand my reasoning. You have been far more amazing to me than I deserve. I'll leave it up to you to file for divorce after the six months are up so you can still collect your inheritance. I want to keep my end of the deal. Don't worry about keeping your end of it. Just tell everyone that I abandoned you which is essentially what I am doing. _

_You deserve a life full of happiness and without all of my problems. I'm sorry for bringing them into your life. Please give the other letters I have written to Lily, my brother, and Bonnie._

_I don't expect you to forgive me, but please know that I only want to keep you and your family safe._

_Elena._

_P.S. Do not come looking for me. _

One tear dropped onto the letter he was still holding. Then another one. The ink began to blur and Stefan crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it on the counter. Her selflessness frustrated him beyond words. But as he paced the kitchen, it began to dawn on him. They were both trying to keep each other safe. And they were both angry with each other for it.

Stefan sighed. He needed to talk to Elena, but he needed sleep first. He shut the kitchen light off and climbed the stairs again. He stopped when he reached her room, desperately wanting to go inside again and this time, crawl in bed with her. Hold her. Kiss her. Whisper that he was sorry.

But he stopped himself. She needed her space. So he continued walking until he was in his room, in his bed, still wishing he was in hers.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan's shoulder was stinging from an annoying, dull pain as he popped a pill in his mouth and swallowed. It was almost two in the afternoon and he still hadn't seen Elena. He had checked on her a few times to make sure she was still there. But she hadn't gotten out of bed and he was beginning to wonder if she would.

But his thoughts were disrupted when he heard his front door open and small, yet loud and fast footsteps could be heard coming his way. "Uncle Stefan!" Lily yelled out, her feet moving faster when she saw him. She was in his arms before he knew it and although his shoulder hurt, it was worth it. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Katherine was not far behind Lily and when Stefan spotted her, she didn't look particularly happy. But then again, when was she ever happy. "Yeah, I'm okay" Stefan told Lily, setting her down.

"Lily, be a doll and go and get me a bottle of water from the kitchen" Katherine told her and Lily was all too happy to comply as she ran out of the room. Katherine took this time to walk towards Stefan and when she hit his good shoulder hard, he winced and looked at her in shock that she would actually hit him while he was injured. "What the hell is wrong with you?" she asked. "I didn't tell you about Elena leaving for you to go and almost get yourself shot!" she said angrily.

Stefan rubbed the shoulder she hit. "What else was I supposed to do?" he asked Katherine, glaring at her.

"You should have brought me along" she told him pointedly. "You can't do anything right" she said, taking a seat on the couch. Stefan glared at her again. "Where's Elena?" she asked.

"Upstairs" Stefan said, keeping his answer vague. "You should probably take Lily home though. I don't think Elena really wants the company right now" he said.

"Tough" Katherine replied. "Damon is out and I have errands to run. Which means you are babysitting" she said, standing. "I'll be late, so you can keep her overnight. Make sure she gets to school tomorrow by 8:30" Katherine said as she walked away. "Her bag is by the door!" she called out before walking out the door.

Stefan groaned. He loved Lily, but right now was not the best time for her to be over. She came running back out looking for her mom. Stefan smiled at her. "You're going to stay with me tonight" he told her.

"And Elena" Lily corrected.

Stefan shook his head. "Elena's not feeling very well, so we have to let her be so she can rest, okay?" he asked Lily.

"Does she got a cold?" Lily asked, crawling up on the couch. Stefan came and sat beside her.

"No, she's just sad right now and needs some time to herself" Stefan told her. "So why don't you go color in my office for a little while and then we'll order pizza" he suggested.

Lily nodded. "Okay" she said, getting back down off of the couch. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, looking at the bandage on his shoulder.

Stefan did his best to give her a reassuring smile. "I'm sure" he told her, pulling her in for a hug as he kissed the top of her head. "Go color" he told her, giving her a small push in the right direction. He watched her run off. Then he grabbed the remote and got comfortable on the couch watching something on the History Channel.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily colored for all of about five minutes before getting bored. She grabbed one of her books that she had stuffed behind the shelf in Stefan's office and wandered upstairs. It was quiet when she entered Elena's room. It was dark too, which Lily did not particularly like.

She quietly walked towards Elena's bed to investigate. Elena had the covers pulled over her head. "Elena?" Lily asked, standing there patiently. Nothing. Lily grabbed the edge of the comforter and crawled into the bed. She came face to face with Elena. "Elena" Lily said again.

Elena opened her eyes and sighed heavily. She hadn't been sleeping, though she had hoped that Lily would give up and leave. Elena just was not in the mood to be around anyone right now. "Hey" Elena said softly, pulling the covers off of them and reaching over to turn the lamp on.

Lily smiled brightly. "Hi Elena" Lily said, studying her carefully. "Uncle Stefan says you are sad" she said, her little eyes suddenly filling with worry.

Elena smiled sadly. "I am sad" she said, seeing no reason to lie to Lily and make her think everything was alright. Because it wasn't.

"When I'm sad, Uncle Stefan always makes me feel better" Lily told her. "He can make you feel better too" she assured her.

"I think I have to figure out how to make myself feel better this time" Elena told her, pushing Lily's hair out of her face. "But I'm glad your Uncle Stefan can always make you feel better" she told her.

"I can make you feel better" Lily stated. She held her book up for Elena to see. "I practiced so I could read to you" she said, scooting closer to Elena and flipping open the book.

Before Elena could protest, Lily began reading. She was doing so well that Elena couldn't find it in her heart to stop her. So, she sat back, wrapped her arms around her, and followed along with her.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily was sleeping soundly 20 minutes later. Elena carefully grabbed the book from Lily's hands and then quietly snuck out of the bed to go downstairs for a glass of water. When she rounded the bottom of the stairs, Stefan looked up from the couch, surprised to see her. Elena looked caught off guard as well. "I'm just getting water" she said quickly. Stefan stood and when she saw his bandaged shoulder, she quickly looked away.

"Lily and I were going to order pizza for dinner tonight. She's staying over" he said. Elena only nodded, still not looking at him.

"She's asleep in my bed" Elena told him. "You should probably go and get her. She won't sleep through the night if she sleeps much longer."

It was Stefan's turn to nod. "I'm sorry if she was bothering you. I sent her to my office to color" he explained.

"She wasn't bothering me" Elena told him, feeling uncomfortable with standing with him.

Stefan nodded again. "Can we talk?" he asked.

Elena shifted her weight uncomfortably. "There's really nothing to talk about" she told him. "I'm going to get my water" she said, heading for the kitchen.

"Elena" Stefan said as he followed her. "Elena, talk to me" he said, reaching out and grabbing her hand to stop her.

But she pulled her hand away, turning around to face him and running her hand through her hair. "Jesus, Stefan. What do you want to talk about?" she asked, already becoming far more upset than she wanted him to see. "You almost got yourself killed. What am I supposed to do with that?" she asked, letting her tears slip down her face freely. She was exhausted and emotional which was not a good combination for her.

"What was I supposed to do after you left?" he asked her, his tone challenging but his eyes full of pain and worry.

"You were supposed to enjoy your 12 million dollars" Elena said, her voice full of surrender. She was tired and it was an easy way out on her part, throwing that in his face.

He took the bait though and his eyes flashed with anger. "Screw the money Elena!" he yelled. "You think that's all I care about?" he asked her.

Elena scoffed at that question. "I don't know what to think anymore" she told him.

"I read your letter" he told her. "I really liked that last part about me not looking for you" he said, his anger still present. Elena attempted to walk away from him again, but he grabbed her arm to stop her. He pulled her close so they were face to face and he could look her in her eyes. "I wouldn't have stopped until I found you" he told her, his eyes burning into hers. "Every second of every day would have been spent looking for you" he promised her.

Elena forced herself to let out a shaky breath that she had been holding ever since he had pulled her so close. "I was trying to protect you" she said, her voice filled with neither anger nor sadness anymore. Just honestly. Something he could relate with.

"And I was trying to protect you too" he said, his voice softer this time and filled with less anger and frustration.

"I was so stupid" she said, lost in his eyes and simply speaking because she knew the only other thing to do would be to kiss him.

Stefan leaned in closer to her if that was at all possible. "We both were" he said quietly, assessing their close proximity and deciding to just go for it. His lips met hers before she had time to react. Stefan was pretty sure he could melt into her if it were possible. He had missed her so much.

But Elena turned her head, breaking the kiss. "We can't, Stefan" she said quietly. "We agreed to go back to our original deal" she reminded.

Stefan felt his heart ache. He rested his head against hers and nodded. "I'm sorry" he whispered, kissing her hair.

Elena nodded as well. "I'm sorry too" she whispered back. "I'm glad you're okay" she said, pulling away from him. "I should get some reading done for school" she told him.

"Okay" he said, not really sure what else he could do at this very moment.

"Uncle Stefan" a quiet, sleepy voice came from behind them. Both turned to see Lily rubbing her eyes. "I'm hungry" she said.

"I'm calling the pizza place right now" he said, smiling at her.

"I'll be upstairs reading" Elena said, seeing the perfect opportunity to get away.

"I'll help you!" Lily said, suddenly more awake now.

"No, Lil, you stay down here with me and let Elena do her homework" Stefan told Lily.

"It's okay" Elena assured him. "Maybe she can help me make sense of all those terms" Elena added.

"I can read the whole book for you!" Lily said excitedly as she grabbed Elena's hand and tugged her along. She looked back at her uncle briefly. "Don't forget the breadsticks Uncle Stefan!" she called out.

"I know" Stefan replied, going in search for his phone to call. He still wanted to talk with Elena. At some point.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dinner was going better than Elena thought it would. Stefan kept the conversation light and directed it mostly towards Lily who was all too happy to chat about anything Stefan brought up. "But I don't wanna let it go" Lily said, taking another bite of her pizza.

"Lily, you can't keep the caterpillar in a jar. It will die" he explained to her as gently as possible.

"I can too!" she stated. "He's my pet and I already named him."

Stefan sighed. "What did you name him?" he asked.

"Fuzzy" Lily smiled. "And I'm going to take him for walks and feed him leafs" she added.

Elena couldn't help but smile at the little girl's enthusiasm. Stefan's eyes locked with Elena's and she quickly looked away, her smile fading. "Maybe you can let Fuzzy go in your garden" Elena suggested.

"But what if he gets cold outside?" Lily asked, concern covering her face. "Oooh, maybe I can buy him a jacket!" she smiled.

Stefan shot Elena a disbelieving look. One that made Elena start to laugh, despite her efforts to distance herself from him. But Stefan let Lily's comment about the jacket for the caterpillar go. He checked his watch. "You have to get your bath and then get to bed" he told Lily.

"But I'm not tired" she shrugged.

"Oh yes you are" Stefan assured her.

"Oh no I'm not" Lily disagreed.

Stefan stood from the table and grabbed Lily, throwing her over his good shoulder. "Are too" he said, walking out of the room and up the stairs with her.

"Are not!" Lily shouted.

Elena could hear them continue their disagreement for some time until she finally got up from the table and took care of the dishes. It was normalcy and she liked it.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena was standing out in the middle of the driveway later that night when Stefan found her. She heard him open and close the door and then the gravel crunch beneath his feet. He stopped a few feet back, unsure if she wanted to be alone or not. "It's the first time I've stepped outside without wondering if he was going to show up" she said, pulling her sweater around her tighter as she stared up at the clouded sky. "Do you think it's going to snow tonight?" she asked, effortlessly changing the subject.

Stefan took a few more steps and ended up beside her, looking up at the same clouded sky. "He got off easy" Stefan said calmly. "Death was too kind for what he did to you."

"Maybe" Elena said, continuing to look up at the sky. A comfortable silence fell upon them as they continued to look upwards. The cold air was moving in.

"I think it will snow tonight" Stefan said, finally breaking the silence and answering her question. "Not much. Maybe an inch or two." He turned to go back inside, not being able to stand so close to her and yet have to be so far from her.

Elena closed her eyes as she listened to his footsteps go farther and farther from her. "It was a lot easier when I hated you" Elena said. Stefan stopped. "I never wondered what it would be like to really be married to you or be really in love with you. I never would have told you about my past and you would have never gotten involved" she said, her voice cracking some as she revealed how much she was hurting. "And in a few months, I would be able to walk out that door without wanting to stay" she added, wiping at a stray tear that fell silently down her face. "I just wish that I still hated you" she concluded, realizing that was all she needed to say. Because he understood.

Stefan walked back towards her, standing just behind her, almost touching her shoulder with his. "If that will make it easier …" he began, finding that his own voice was starting to catch in his throat. "Then go back to hating me" he told her. As much as it pained him to think that she could hate him, he wanted to make all of this easier on her.

Elena wiped at a few more tears as she shook her head. "I can't. After everything you have done for me, I can't hate you" she told him sadly. "But I can't love you anymore either. And it hurts me so much when I look at you and I know that I can't stay with you forever. That we can't be happy" she said, fighting back more tears and the urge to cry harder. Her statement hit Stefan hard and he felt like his heart had been torn out by the realization of it all. They wouldn't be together forever. They would go their separate ways in a few months and they would move on with other people.

Stefan knew it was selfish, but he didn't want her to be happy with someone else. He couldn't quite tell her that, but he felt it strongly. "I'm sorry I can't give you what you really want" he said quietly. Commitment. He couldn't give her that. Stefan grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. He died a little more that moment when he was forced to look at her sad brown eyes and the tears that were falling from them. "But I will always, always be here for you" he promised her, searching her eyes to make sure that she understood that. That she believed him.

If she was crying before, she was nearly sobbing by this point as she fell forward into him, burying her face and trying to hide her tears. He held her there for a little while, resting his head against hers while rubbing her back in a soothing manner. He hated that she was crying. That she was sad. But, he reminded himself, this is the way it had to be.


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I really don't know what the purpose of this update was. I suppose I needed to set up where Stefan and Elena are right now in terms of their feelings and what not. So, not a huge update, but I kind of liked hearing from them how they are feeling.**

**As always, let me know what you think! **

**Next update will be Elena's graduation as well as the end of their six month marriage "contract". Hmm … I wonder what will happen with that ;) **

Stefan only half paid attention to the publicist speaking to the group. The sun was shining which was odd for an early March day. It was only more depressing that he was stuck in the city listening to some guy right out of school thinking he knew everything. Stefan already knew his family's company wasn't going to accept the offer. But Damon seemed to be somewhat interested as he was asking all of the questions.

Stefan had other things on his mind. Elena mostly. The past few months had come and gone with nothing really changing between them since they had decided that they could not be together. They went back to their regular routines. Elena slept in her own room. She went to class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. She had tossed around the idea of going back to work but Stefan had suggested that she use her extra time to study or do things that she enjoyed. So she took his advice.

Stefan threw himself into his work, which was why he was sitting at this boring meeting. He checked his watch. He still had four more hours before he could leave.

It wasn't as if they ignored each other. They ate dinner together almost every night and sometimes they would watch a movie. But he was splayed out on the couch and she was curled up in the chair. They would chat about things that didn't really matter and sometimes they would spend a Saturday with Lily.

Damon's phone ringing brought Stefan out of his thoughts. Damon apologized and quickly left the room, leaving all eyes on Stefan. He sat up and pretended to look deep in thought, though he had no idea what the guy had been talking about. "Uh, yeah" Stefan said. "Yeah, can you go over the numbers again?" he asked. The guy started rattling off numbers again until Damon came back.

Damon sat back down and leaned over to Stefan. "That was Lily's school. She's not feeling well" he said. "Do you think Elena can go and pick her up?" he asked.

"I'll ask" Stefan said, grateful to be getting out of that stuffy room for a minute or two. He pulled out his phone and called Elena as soon as he was out of the door. It only took a few rings before she answered. He could hear music in the background and figured she was enjoying her day off. "Hey, can you do me a really big favor?" he asked her.

Elena smiled on her end of the phone. "I already married you. What else do you want?" she asked, her voice full of teasing.

He couldn't help but smile. "Lily's school called. She's sick. Damon and I are stuck in this stupid meeting for a few more hours" he explained. "Do you think you can go pick her up?" he asked.

He heard Elena turn her music off. "Of course I can" she told him.

Stefan sighed, not realizing how tense he was. Part of it was because he was worried about Lily. The other part of it was because he was talking to Elena. "Thank you. We both really appreciate it" he said. "We'll be home as soon as we can" he said, thanking her again before hanging up. When he walked back into the room, he nodded to Damon before sitting back down.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena finished signing Lily out before being led to the back room of the office. There she saw Lily lying on the most uncomfortable looking bed. She was pale and looked plain miserable. "Hey Sweetie" she said, bending down to her level. "Not feeling so well?" she asked, placing her hand over her forehead. Lily was hot, but not burning up.

"Not so much" Lily said quietly. Elena gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Her temperature is 100 and it hasn't changed. I would watch it though and get her to the doctor if it does rise" the nurse said, signing off on a piece of paper and handing it to Elena. "Here is a list of recommended items for you to pick up at the store. My contact information is on the back if you need to get ahold of me."

Elena nodded, scanning the items. All the basics for any sick kid. "Thank you" she said, grabbing Lily's hand and helping her up. "Let's get you home" she said, holding lily close to her.

Half an hour later, Elena had Lily tucked into her bed. She had given Lily what the nurse had recommended, checked her temperature, and read her two stories. Elena took this time to study for her final exams that were coming up rather soon. Although she was excited about graduation, these tests still stood in her way.

Hours later, Stefan made good on his word. He and Damon were walking in the door, still dressed in their business attire and looking exhausted. "She's upstairs sleeping" Elena told them, closing her textbook.

"Thank you so much Elena" Damon said, taking his gloves off. "Katherine is … out of town for the next few days" he said, choosing his words carefully. "I really didn't want Lily to have to sit at school until I got back."

"You're welcome" she told him, though she was looking at Stefan who was looking at her. "It was no trouble, really."

Damon smiled at her before going upstairs to get Lily. When he came back down, she was still wrapped in her blanket sound asleep with her head resting on his shoulder. Damon grabbed Lily's bag and looked at Stefan. "You should let her stick around" he told Stefan. "She's a great girl" he added before Elena came walking back into the room.

Stefan felt his heart sink just at hearing his brother's words. It wasn't like he hadn't thought about it. But the reality of it was, he was scared. Scared because she was the one person now who could hurt him the most. And he was not ready to give her the power to do that. "Here's the stuff I picked up for her at the store. Everything the nurse had suggested" Elena said, handing Damon the bag.

"Great" Damon said, accepting the bag. "Let me pay you back for everything" he said, reaching for his pocket to take out his wallet.

But Elena immediately stopped him. "No, don't worry about it" she said, turning down his offer right away. "Just get her home and make sure she's comfortable" she added, brushing her hand through Lily's messy curly hair.

Damon eyed Stefan, giving him a knowing look. But Stefan looked away from him, not being able to accept the fact that his brother was right. She was a great girl. "Call us tomorrow and let us know how she's doing" Stefan said, opening the door for him.

"Sure thing" he said before leaving.

Stefan waited until Damon got to the car before shutting the door. Then he sighed. "Really, thank you again for everything" he said, turning to Elena.

"Really, it wasn't a big deal" she said, fixing a button her shirt.

"It is to me" he said, his eyes catching hers off guard. He saw some concern in her eyes. He thought she would change the subject. Anything to avoid having to have a meaningful conversation with him.

"She's kind of part of the package when it comes to being with you" Elena answered instead. "I understand that" she said, smiling softly. There. Right there. When she said things like that, it made Stefan's head scream at him to not be such an idiot. It told him to grab Elena and hold her so tight that she would never be able to get away, even if she tried. Because being with her made more sense than anything else in his life ever had. But, something always seemed to stop him. Fear got in the way of logic. Elena seemed to sense that he was thinking hard about something, so she spoke up to try and get his attention back. "So really, it was no big deal. I'm happy to help out with her" she said.

He had to get out of that room and away from her. Because he knew that if he stayed in there with her for a moment longer, he was going to push her up against that wall behind her and kiss her senseless. So, he simply nodded and walked past her. It had hurt and she didn't know why. She was well aware of how things had to be between them. "Stefan" she said. Stefan stopped. Not just his body, but his heart. When she said his name like that, the affect was immobilizing. "Never mind" she said. "I should get back to studying." Stefan nodded before going upstairs. When he was out of sight, Elena continued to stare ahead of her as she said to herself what she had wanted to say to him. "I love you."

**XXXXXXXXXX**

"Mommy watch!" Lily said, bouncing up and down in her saddle as she trotted on by on Cash. She made kissy noises and brought Cash into a lope as she made circles around the arena.

Katherine smiled. "Look at her" she said, turning to look at Stefan who stood right beside her.

Stefan smiled as well. "She's a natural born rider" Stefan agreed. "Fearless too" he added.

"Well she gets that from me" Katherine smirked.

"You are so full of yourself!" Stefan accused, bumping into her with his elbow.

"You're one to talk!" she countered, giving him a good shove.

His mouth gaped open. "Did you just shove me?" he asked, stepping towards her again. Katherine rolled her eyes at what a big deal he was making over it. "Lily, I'm going to toss your mom in the water trough!" Stefan called out. Lily stopped her horse and Katherine's eyes grew wide.

"Do it and I will end you" she promised. "I just had my hair done."

"Do it Uncle Stefan!" Lily yelled excitedly as she got off of her horse and ran towards them.

Stefan grabbed Katherine before she really had time to react. She put up a good fight though as he struggled to hold on to her. Lily was laughing with excitement and Katherine was swearing at him in French. "I swear to God Stefan" Katherine warned as they neared the water trough outside the barn.

"Stop squirming" Stefan told her as they rounded the corner. He was laughing though, as was Katherine by this point at how ridiculous this whole situation was. But he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Elena standing less than a hundred feet away, looking both surprised and hurt to see Katherine in his arms and both of them laughing and smiling.

Stefan set Katherine down almost immediately, his face already trying to explain to Elena before the words would come out. Elena suddenly realized that her face was giving away too much. Hurt. Betrayal. "I umm …" she began, not really being able to form the words in her current state. But she closed her eyes and shook her head. "Caroline called. She wants you to call her back when you get the chance" she told him, though she was looking everywhere but at him.

"Elena we're gonna throw Mommy in the water trough!" Lily said excitedly, completely oblivious to the change in the atmosphere around her.

"Lily, why don't you take your mom back to the arena" Stefan said.

Lily sighed and then raised her arms up in the air. "You mean we can't throw Mommy in the water?" she asked.

"Not right now" Stefan said, grabbing her chin and winking at her. "Katherine, watch her?" he asked.

"Yeah" Katherine said, fixing her shirt that had bunched up while Stefan had her. She shot a glance at Elena who looked devastated. Elena locked eyes with her though and watched as Katherine smirked deceitfully before following her daughter back.

Elena didn't know why she was surprised by Katherine doing that. It was no secret that Katherine wanted Stefan back. And who knew. Maybe they could get back together after Elena left. Clearly there was still something there between Katherine and Stefan.

Stefan waited until Katherine and Lily were out of earshot. "That wasn't what it looked like" he explained awkwardly.

Elena held up her hand to stop him. "You don't owe me an explanation" she told him. It wasn't as if they were in a relationship where those kinds of explanations needed to be made. "I should get back to the house" she told him.

"Elena wait" he said, feeling extremely guilty. It was clear that she was upset by what she had seen. "Honestly, we were just having fun" he told her.

Elena laughed bitterly. "Yeah, just having fun with a girl who clearly wants to get back together with you" she told him before she could really think about it. She didn't know why she was getting so upset.

Stefan really couldn't argue that. He was well aware of Katherine's intentions and yeah, it probably was stupid to play around with her like that. "I don't feel that way about Katherine. Not anymore" he told her. He thought she knew that.

Elena gave him the saddest look and it broke his heart. She didn't trust him. "I get it" she said, completely ignoring what he had just said. "It really would be hard to commit to someone when you're still in love with someone else" she said, anger making a presence in her voice.

She turned around and began to walk off, fighting back a few tears. "Elena!" he called out. But she didn't stop. She kept on walking. She wasn't even sure that she believed he was still in love with Katherine. But maybe it was easier to blame him for that than to accept the fact that he didn't want to stay married to her.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I am on a roll! I love being able to update more often.**

**I really hope you all enjoy this update. I enjoyed writing it! Please do let me know what you think.**

**This is NOT the final update. There is more to this story, so hang on tight!**

He had apologized two dozen times the past week. She hadn't given any indication that she had accepted his apology until the more recent one in which he had sat on her bed and waited for her to return home from school one evening. She had been surprised to see him, but she gave him the chance to apologize and she told him that it was okay. She had just overreacted when she saw him with Katherine. He had wanted to talk with her more, but she had an exam to study for. But at least they had somewhat settled it.

He groaned as he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. But sleep was not coming on this early Saturday morning. So, he got up, figuring that if he couldn't sleep, he could at least get some work done. Maybe it would keep his mind off of the fact that he and Elena's marriage contract would be up the next day. Yes, they had officially been married six months and the following day, Sunday, would mark his eligibility to acquire his inheritance.

Twelve million dollars. He should have been more excited, but all he could think about was when Elena would be leaving. They hadn't discussed it. But he knew it was inevitable. She would leave and go on to start her life without him.

And he wanted that for her. Without the threat of Derrick, she could go anywhere she wanted and not be afraid. And with the one million dollars he had promised her, she could practically do anything she wanted too. He figured it was none of his business really, but he wanted to know where she was going so that he could make sure she had someplace safe to live.

Stefan got up off of his bed and went down the hall. If this was going to be his last day with her, he kind of wanted to spend it with her. When he got to her room, he found it empty, but just as it had been. Nothing was packed. There was no indication that she was leaving tomorrow. A sigh of relief escaped him. He would never force her out until she was ready to leave. He hoped she knew that.

He sat down on her bed and realized that he sat on something. Her mail. He pulled it out from under him and looked at it briefly. Junk mail mostly. He picked through it though until he came across an envelope from her university. It had been opened. He tossed the rest aside and pulled out the contents from the envelope. Four smaller pieces of paper fell out. Tickets. Graduation tickets.

Stefan picked one up and read the small writing for the details. Elena hadn't said too much about graduation. Only that her brother and Bonnie couldn't make it because of school. Stefan assumed he was getting an invite though. Which was why he was a little confused when he read the date of the ceremony on the ticket. March 24th at 10 AM. Stefan looked at his phone. Today was March 24th and it was just after 8 AM. Elena had left for graduation without him.

He jumped up from her bed so fast that he almost fell over. But he regained his balance and ran back to his room. He had less than an hour to get ready and get on the road.

Stefan had stopped by on his way out to get Lily, figuring that Elena might like to have her there too. If she even wanted him there to begin with. They had stopped along the way to get flowers for Elena. Lily had picked out a teddy bear wearing a graduation cap. She hadn't stopped holding it since Stefan bought it.

When they had arrived at the campus, Stefan cursed in his native Italian as he tried to find parking. Lily looked at him curiously. "Once I find a place to park, we have to hurry, okay?" he said, hoping to find Elena before the ceremony started.

"Okay" Lily said, hugging the teddy bear tighter. "Does Elena know we're coming?" she asked, continuing to look at him.

"Nope" Stefan said, looking at Lily and smiling.

Lily's face showed her excitement. "It's a surprise!" she shrieked. Stefan pulled into a parking spot and Lily jumped out of her seat and out of the car and Stefan had to move faster to keep up with her. They met a crowd of people moving towards the auditorium and Stefan had to pick Lily up in order for her to not get trampled. "Where is she?" Lily asked.

"We'll find her" Stefan assured her, moving through the people as they neared an open area. There, Stefan could see that the graduates were all lined up outside, ready to go in. He scanned the area. All of them looked the same in their black gowns and white caps though. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Journalism" he said, speaking to the closest graduate he could find.

"Third from the end" the girl answered.

Stefan smiled his thanks as he ran with Lily. "I see her!" Lily squealed as they got closer. She squirmed her way down out of Stefan's arms and made a run for it, holding the teddy bear tightly. "Elena Elena Elena!" she yelled, pushing various graduates out of her way in her mission to get to Elena. Each person that Lily shoved looked down, displeased with the small child but forgiving her because of how cute she was.

Elena heard her name, but couldn't see anyone until she felt someone attach her to leg. She looked down and smiled when she saw her. "Lily?" Elena asked, confused but extremely happy to see her.

"Happy Graduation!" Lily said, letting go of Elena's leg and handing her the teddy bear. "We love you!" she said happily.

Elena bent down to pick Lily up, holding her close. "We?" she asked, turning just in time to see Stefan making his way towards them. The first thing she noticed was the large bouquet of flowers he was holding. Then she noticed his eyes and how they held hers. "Stefan" she breathed out, still holding onto her surprise at seeing them there.

Stefan closed the distance between them. He smiled at her. "Congratulations" he said, handing her the flowers.

"Thank you" Elena said, feeling the urge to cry but reminding herself that there were people around. She could cry later at how amazing Stefan was.

"Aren't you gonna kiss her?" Lily asked, looking back and forth between Elena and her uncle.

"Here" he said, grabbing Lily and setting her back down. He gave Lily the bear and flowers to hold. "You bet I am" he said, his arm going around Elena's waist and his other hand resting against her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her. Elena had to place her own hands against him in order to keep from crumpling to the ground as her body immediately became weak. He hadn't kissed her like that in months. When he did finally pull away, she blushed at the silly smile he gave her, knowing that he knew full well the affect he just had on her. "You should catch up with your group" he said.

Elena looked around and realized that her group had indeed already begun moving inside the auditorium without her. "Yeah" she said, still feeling the blush on her cheeks. "I uh, I should" she said. She felt a tug on her gown and looked down to see Lily.

"What are you wearing under this?" Lily asked, tugging the gown up to look.

"Lily" Stefan said, grabbing her by her jacket to pull her away from Elena. Lily had a bad habit when it came to personal space.

But Elena just smiled. "A blue dress" she said, lifting her gown up a little more for Lily to see.

Lily studied it closely. "Okay, that was a good one to pick" she said matter of factly. "It does good with your eyes" she added.

Elena laughed as Stefan grabbed Lily and swung her up into his arms. "Okay Miss Stylist, we need to go and get our seats" he informed her.

"You found the tickets" Elena said, looking down at the ground with guilt. "I was going to ask you …" she trailed off.

"Hey" he said, stopping her. When Elena did look up at him, he continued. "Go graduate" he told her, a twinkle in his eye that she hadn't seen lately. "You deserve it" he added with a ridiculously smoldering smile that she had wanted to smack off of his face at one point in time. But not anymore.

"Okay" she said, winking at Lily before walking quickly to catch up with her group.

Stefan began walking with Lily to an entrance on the opposite side. "Is there gonna be cake in there?" Lily asked. "Cause I haven't had any cake for a long time" she told him.

Stefan shifted Lily into his other arm as he dug out the tickets. "You had cake yesterday" Stefan reminded her.

"Nuh uh" she said, shaking her head. "I had a cupcake yesterday" she corrected. "That's not the same thing" she explained.

Stefan rolled his eyes. But he knew very well that he would have argued the same thing at one point in his life. She took after him in so many ways that it broke his heart just a little. "I don't think they will have cake in there" he said, handing over his tickets. "But we will find cake tonight when we take Elena to dinner" he added.

"You're the best Uncle Stefan!" she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The ceremony was long. So long that Lily had fallen asleep after Elena had crossed the stage. Two hours later, when it had finally ended, Stefan had woken Lily up so they could find Elena. She wasn't hard to find. He swore he could see her glow of happiness from across the room. That and she had sent him a text, telling him she was by the bathrooms.

Lily had taken off when the crowd had cleared, making a run for Elena. She still had the teddy bear and Stefan wondered if Elena would actually ever get the bear or if Lily was going to keep it. "Elena I saw you up there!" she yelled, flying into Elena's arms and almost knocking Elena over. "Can we go and get cake now?" she asked, turning back to look at Stefan.

"Cake?" Elena asked, liking the sound of that.

Stefan grabbed Lily from Elena and handed her the flowers. "Lily and I thought we'd take you out to dinner to celebrate. Someplace with cake" he added, getting a smile from Lily.

"Sounds good you two" Elena said, looking at her flowers. Roses. Pink. Her favorite. She followed Stefan and Lily out to the car, thankful that she did not have to ride the bus back home by herself.

Lily had chosen for Elena where they would eat dinner because Lily was positive that Elena would love it. Pizza. Stefan told Elena that she could pick anywhere she wanted and hushed Lily when she protested, but Elena thought pizza sounded good. It was casual and that was what she needed after her busy day. Besides, this particular pizza parlor served cake as well.

Although Lily moderated the conversation for most of the evening, Stefan and Elena stole looks at one another as they ate. She was smiling more than he had seen her smile in the last few months. It was really great to see.

When Elena thought dinner was over, the waiter brought out a small cake that congratulated her on her graduation. She was surprised and suspiciously wondered how Stefan had been able to order the cake without her knowing. He played dumb though and laughed at how big Lily's eyes had gotten.

When the cake had been passed out and Lily had given her approval, Elena mouthed a thank you to Stefan. He mouthed back that she was welcome. Both smiled at the exchange. It was nice – whatever this was going on between them.

Lily fallen asleep on the car ride home and when they made it to her house, Stefan carried her inside. Elena followed quietly behind. Damon met them at the door and took Lily from Stefan carefully. "How long has she been out?" he asked.

"About an hour" Stefan replied. "Thanks for letting us have her today. We had a lot of fun" he said, shooting a smile at Elena.

"Congratulations Elena" Damon said quietly.

"Thanks" she whispered.

They said their goodnights and Stefan and Elena headed home.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan and Elena walked silently to the door. Stefan let them in. "I had a lot of fun tonight" she told him, setting her purse down. "The flowers. The bear" she said, holding them up. "They were perfect" she smiled.

"I'm glad" he told her. "I actually have one more present for you though" he said.

"Stefan" she said, letting her voice fall slightly. "You don't have to give me things, you know that" she told him.

Stefan smiled. "I do know that. Which makes giving them to you so much better" he said.

She shook her head but decided not to argue with him on this. He would only win. "Okay. But give me a minute. I need to get these shoes off and get out of this dress" she said.

Stefan took the flowers from her so he could put them in a vase. "I'll meet you upstairs in a few minutes" he said.

"Okay" she said softly, giving him one more small smile before going upstairs. Stefan watched her until she was out of sight before he went in search of a vase. He then went up to his room to grab an envelope with her name written on it.

He gave her a few more minutes before he slowly walked towards her room. She had left the door open slightly, but he still knocked anyway. "Hey" he said after she had waved him in. He came in and sat on her bed. She sat down next to him. "Here" he said, handing her the envelope.

"What is it?" she asked, looking at him curiously.

"Open it" he encouraged. Elena did and when she unfolded the paper, she looked at him first with confusion and then with disbelief. "I wanted you to have one less thing to worry about" he explained when he saw her face.

"Stefan" she said, her voice filled with even more disbelief. "You paid off my student loans?" she asked, making sure to clarify that he really had done this and she was not just imagining it.

Stefan nodded. "You are now debt free" he told her. He had never really thought about her student loans until she joked one day a few weeks ago about having six months to find a job so she could start paying them back. It seemed like the perfect idea really to do this for her.

"Stefan, that was over $40,000" she said, still in disbelief. "I can't let you do that" she said, turning to really look at him.

Stefan shrugged. "Not much you can do about it now" he reminded her.

But Elena shook her head. "You have to take it out of what you owe me" she told him. She couldn't let him spend that much of his money on her.

"No" he told her, grabbing her hands and moving even closer to her. He waited until she was looking into his eyes before he spoke again. "I am so unbelievably proud of you Elena" he told her. "I wanted to do something for you, something that I thought would help" he explained.

She didn't cry. But she very well could have. "I don't know what to say" she told him, pulling her hands out of his and leaning forward to hug him. "Thank you" she said, forcing her tears back.

He sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and breathed her in. He had missed this so much. "You're welcome" he told her.

"You know, I thought I would be okay without anyone there with me today" she told him, still holding on to him. "But seeing you and Lily there made me realize how important it was to share my graduation with someone" she explained. "It meant so much for me to see you show up" she said, pulling away from him slightly so she could look at him once again. And suddenly, all he could do was stare at her. Really stare at her. She became self-conscious under his stare and decided it was a good time to bid him goodnight. She had a lot to start doing in the morning. "I should get to bed, I'm kind of …" she said, but was immediately cut off when his lips came crashing down on hers.

His kisses could make her forget everything and she did. She forgot that she needed to go to bed and she forgot that she had just celebrated her graduation. She forgot about them sticking to their business deal and she forgot that she was supposed to be leaving him. Somehow, because she really wasn't able to pay attention, they fell back against the bed and his leg had ended up over hers. He pulled away briefly to let them both breathe, but he was kissing her seconds later because he really didn't care if they both passed out from a lack of oxygen as long as he could kiss her just a little more.

And then he was moving over the top of her, his lips leaving hers for the first time in over five minutes. She didn't mind though because they were attaching themselves to other places on her skin and it gave her a chance to really breathe. "I've missed you" he whispered low into her ear.

She knew what he meant. Seeing each other every day was not the same as being with each other. All she could do in response was nod weakly as she grabbed onto his shirt and slowly unbuttoned it. His lips were back on hers and so were his hands.

"Stefan" she breathed as his hands moved behind her back. She was being pulled up into a sitting position as he grabbed her shirt and pulled it off of her. She took this time to slide his dress shirt off of his shoulders. She smiled at him shyly before leaning into him and kissing him again. He took this as a good sign and pushed her back down against the bed. His hands went to work on her pants and before she could really comprehend much, he was sliding them down her legs and tossing them onto the floor.

Naked. Not completely, but darn near close to it. And that is exactly how he liked to see her. Although she might have been embarrassed to be so bare in front of him at one point in time, now she was just a little irritated that he still had pants on. But she took care of those, tossing them on the floor next to hers. "Better?" he asked, his eyes glimmering with a hint of teasing as he let his eyes scan her body.

She didn't answer him, but he didn't really care as he pressed her into the mattress and continued kissing her. It was going to be a long night, but he was more than willing to lose sleep over it. And he was pretty sure she felt the same way.

**A/N: So? What do you think? Did you fall in love with Stefan just a little more? I will start on the next update soon!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: I really want you all to know that I love Stefan and Elena and have so much respect for the work that Paul and Nina do. They truly inspire me, especially lately. Their talent continues to allow me to write.**

**To all of you though who are reading this story and any other stories about Stefan and Elena, thank you. You are keeping the Stefan/Elena love alive : ) **

**Please do tell me what you think of this update. I really do enjoy hearing what you have to say!**

He tried to remember the last time that he was this happy. When he knew that he had it all figured out on his end and that things were going to be exactly how he wanted them to be. It wasn't with Katherine. The whole relationship had been stressful, even though he had made plans to marry her and there were great times too.

No. The last time he was truly this happy was when Lily had just turned 11 months old. He had her for the whole weekend and Damon had mentioned in an e-mail that Lily was going to start walking any day now. So Stefan had spent the entire day before she arrived at his apartment baby proofing the entire place. He had then spent all weekend trying to get her to walk. It was selfish, he knew, but he wanted to be the first to see her reach this milestone. It seemed like he had missed all the others. Her first word, which was "dadda". This had made him cringe inwardly.

So Stefan had been pretty bummed as he picked up all of her toys. His Uncle Zach would be there any minute to take Lily back to Damon's. He had turned his back for just a moment to put a toy back in her bag. When he turned back around, he nearly fell to the floor at the sight of her standing in the middle of the living room with the silliest grin on her face. It was like she knew the affect she had on him. That's when she took her first step, holding her small arms out towards him as she continued taking uneven, off-balance steps towards him. It was all he could do to just stand there and let her come to him. He could barely contain his excitement as she reached him, grabbing onto his leg to steady herself. He picked her up, showering her with praise and kisses.

He never told anyone about it. Three days later, Damon had e-mailed him a video of Lily's first steps. Stefan couldn't help but grin at how wrong his brother was, but he didn't say anything.

So yes, the one other time he had been as happy as he was right now, lying in bed with Elena, was when Lily took her first steps in front of him.

Stefan and Elena were both awake by this point. It was almost noon. Their many little escapades had lasted well into mid-morning and they had slept soundly for a few hours. Neither one of them was talking, though they both knew what was on each other's mind. Elena's head was resting on one of his arms and his other was wrapped around her, keeping her close. She was staring at the clock on his wall and he was staring at her. Sometimes he would stroke her stomach to get her attention back and she would look at him, accepting the light kiss he would place on her lips.

It had been this way for over an hour now and he was getting anxious. So was she. "We should probably get up" Elena said, not really meaning it but figuring that she ought to say something.

"Stay with me" he blurted out. His honest eyes met her surprised ones. "Stay here, married to me" he said, clarifying just a little more what he meant.

It took her a moment to collect her thoughts because they seemed to have become frozen. It was the last thing she had expected him to stay. "Stefan …" she began, unsure of what she needed to tell him.

So he continued. "I love you" he told her, moving that much closer to her so he could look deep in her eyes and show her that he meant it. "I don't want this divorce. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

She felt her heart begin to race. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to want to be with her. Stefan studied her closely and felt himself begin to panic because he couldn't tell what she was thinking. Yes. Yes he had imagined her eyes filled with happiness and her kissing him passionately after he confessed this. But no. Elena's eyes were blank and he swore that she moved away from him just a little. "I got a job offer" she told him. "And I took it."

Stefan was not quite sure where she was going with this. She got a job. He was happy for her. "That's great" he said, smiling some. "Where is it?"

When her eyes avoided his, he knew. She didn't even have to say it. "Los Angeles" she whispered.

His arms came out from around her as he moved away from her. "Los Angeles" he repeated. "When did you even interview for that?" he asked, trying to take his mind off of how much he was beginning to hurt. Everywhere, but mainly, his chest.

Elena looked over at him, her own heart aching at how withdrawn he had suddenly become. "They came to speak to my class and I told them I was interested in their company. They set up a phone interview last month" she explained.

Last month. When he was still hell bent on not telling her how he truly felt. He really had no one to blame but himself. "Well, congratulations" he said, bitterness dripping off of his words. He sat up, ready to get out of bed for the day.

"Stefan" she said, grabbing ahold of his arm and stopping him. He looked at where she was grabbing his arm and then at her. The loving, gentle sparkle in his eyes was gone. "It doesn't have to be forever" she told him. "But it is a great opportunity for me right now" she explained.

"Like I said, congratulations" he said, shrugging her hand off of his arm and getting up. He quickly dressed before walking out of the room.

Elena got up and dressed quickly too. She walked out of the room after him. "Stefan" she said, seeing him already halfway down the stairs. "Stefan wait" she said, turning to descend down the stairs.

Stefan stopped, waiting for her to come down the stairs. But he wouldn't look at her. He was angry and she knew it. Well, she thought he was probably more hurt than angry, but anger was so much easier. She stared at his back, thinking of what she should say. "You could come and visit me" she offered. Weekends, maybe. She was willing to make any compromise as long as she could still be with him because that is what she had wanted for so long. For him to finally realize that he could be with her. Then she had to go and ruin it by telling him she was leaving.

Stefan laughed bitterly. "I've done the whole long distance relationship thing before Elena" he told her. "I won't do it again." He was set on that. It was too hard. Too painful. The thought of having to anticipate seeing her all week, only for him to have to say goodbye on Sunday. It was too hard.

"You could move to Los Angeles with me" she tried again.

This time, he turned around with his eyes filled with disbelief. "And what about Lily?" he asked.

Lily. She hadn't even thought about that. Her eyes fell back to the floor in defeat. "If you don't want me to go, just say it" she said quietly. Ultimately, she was making this his decision.

"No" he said, shaking his head. "Don't put this all on me. You clearly want to go. Otherwise you wouldn't have accepted the offer" he said, turning back around to walk away.

She felt her eyes burning where the tears wanted to desperately escape. "I waited. I waited for months for you to decide whether or not you wanted to be with me" she told him, her heart wrenching at every word that she said. "You don't have any right to be upset with me. I did what I had to do to secure my future" she stated with a little more control.

Stefan stopped and turned around to look at her again. He could see that she was on the brink of tears. "You're right. I screwed up. I blew my chance at happiness with you" he told her. His tone was neither angry nor bitter now. It was more hopeless now. He turned back around and began walking again.

She stood there momentarily frozen. How could this be happening to her? Two minutes ago, she was perfectly happy in bed with him. "Where are you going?" she asked him.

"To write you your check" he called over his shoulder.

He had said it so naturally, like this was really goodbye once she received that check. She took a few steps back and sat down on the bottom step, burying her face in her hands as she cried.

Stefan returned ten minutes later, holding the check out to her. When she looked up at him and he saw that she was crying, he had to look away immediately. The last thing she deserved was having to cry because of him. It was over. "When do you leave?" he asked, his voice distant.

Elena wiped at her tears but still didn't take the check. "Three days" she told him.

Stefan simply nodded before looking back at her. Silent tears were still falling despite her best efforts to wipe them away. "Here" he said, continuing to hold the check out for her.

Elena felt sick just at the thought of accepting his money after everything they had been through. "I don't want it" she told him.

This aggravated him some. "We had a deal. Take the money, Elena" he told her, keeping his voice steady, but it threatened to break at any moment.

"I don't want your money!" she yelled suddenly, standing up to face him. "I don't want anything from you" she said, a little more calmly. "Not anymore" she whispered, turning to run back upstairs.

He watched her go. Heard her slam her bedroom door. Knew the happiness he thought he had, was gone. But he couldn't let her leave without the one million he had promised her. Because despite how hurt, angry, and betrayed he felt, he knew deep down that he had no one to blame but himself. He just couldn't let Elena leave without knowing that she had enough money to get settled in with.

As much as he hated to admit it, he would have done the same for Katherine had she not been with Damon. Stefan tossed the check to the ground and sat on the bottom step, holding his head in his hands. He wanted to rewind until he was back in bed with her, when everything was promising. No, he wanted to rewind the past three months so that he could promise her a forever. Hell, he wanted to rewind the last few years so that he would have met her in high school. Would have fallen in love with her and married her. Because he would have never ended up alone and she would have never met Derrick. That is what he wanted, but even money couldn't get him what he wanted this time.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena looked around at her empty room. Her closets, empty. Her dressers, empty. Her heart, empty.

The only things that remained were a few suitcases and the sheets, pillows, and covers on the bed. Those were his. All of her other items had already been shipped to Los Angeles in boxes. Tomorrow morning, she would be leaving. It hadn't become so real until she had really looked around the emptiness that surrounded her.

Everything was done. Well, almost. Elena still had to see Lily and tell her that she was leaving. It was something Elena dreaded the most.

So Elena decided to walk to Damon's house. It took her about an hour, and by the time she arrived, she was pretty sure her face was frozen from the cold. But the walk had given her time to think about what she would say to Lily.

When Elena was walking up the drive, she saw Damon tossing various things into his car. He saw her approach and shut his door. "Pretty cold out here" he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking towards her. "Did you walk here?" he asked, taking in her red cheeks and nose.

Elena nodded. "The exercise was good for me" she said. "And it's kind of nice to be able to walk around by myself, you know, without feeling like …" she said, not really finding it necessary to finish her thought. Because Damon understood.

"Ah" he said. "Are you here to say goodbye?" he asked. "Because Lily won't be home from school for another 20 minutes or so."

"I'll wait, if that's okay" she told him.

Damon nodded. "I have to take off. But you can go and wait inside" he told her. He walked back to his car and opened the door. But before he got in it, he had one more thing to say. "He loves you, Elena. If you leave tomorrow, you will be making the biggest mistake of your life" he said, turning to hold her eyes. Telling her silently that Derrick was nothing close to the mistake she was about to make. He got in his car and she moved back some so he could leave.

She let out a breath she had been holding as she watched until his car disappeared. Then she headed on up to the house to wait for Lily. Elena let herself in quietly, hoping to avoid Katherine. But of course she wasn't that lucky.

"Aww, came to say goodbye to me?" Katherine pouted, slinking her way into the room.

Elena fought the urge to smack her. It wouldn't do anything productive, but it would make her feel better. "Why did you do it?" Elena asked, catching Katherine off guard.

But Katherine recovered. "Do what?" she asked, checking her newly manicured nails.

"You know what" Elena said through gritted teeth.

Katherine smirked. "You know why" she told Elena. "I did it to win Stefan over" she told her.

Elena laughed. "I don't think that's true" she said and Katherine raised her eyebrows. "But you had to have known that once you told Stefan I was planning on leaving with Derrick, that he would stop me. And then you wouldn't have been rid of me. I would still be here" she said. "So how would you have won Stefan over then?" she asked.

Katherine's smirk remained, but her eyes showed something. Elena wasn't sure what. "Are you accusing me of caring?" she asked Elena. "Because that is a very bold accusation."

"I just want to understand why you did it, Katherine. So for once, can you not skirt around the issue?" Elena asked.

Katherine sighed, clearly annoyed. "I didn't do it for you" Katherine said, somewhat hostile. "I did it for Lily" she admitted. Katherine tore her eyes away from Elena because Elena's eyes had softened and the last thing Katherine wanted was for Elena to think that she cared this much all the time. "She never shuts up about you" Katherine said, crossing her arms. "Clearly you've been really great for her while I've been a pretty shitty mother to her" she said. "So, I thought I could make it up to her by stopping you from leaving."

"Did you know about what Derrick had done to me?" Elena asked quietly.

Katherine shook her head. "Stefan told me after I told him about you leaving. So, I truly did do all this for Lily" she said, somewhat defensively. "I guess it was all for nothing though. You're leaving anyway."

That hurt. But Elena knew it was the truth and she should probably be happy that Katherine was being truthful for once. "I'm just doing what I have to do" Elena answered.

"Self-preservation" Katherine said. "I get it" she told her. She turned to leave, done with the conversation. But she stopped before she left the room. "For what it's worth, I think he deserved to die for what he did to you" she told Elena.

Elena watched Katherine closely. "You're lucky, you know. To have been with two guys who would never hurt you like that" she told Katherine. "I think you take them for granted."

Katherine nodded. "I do" she agreed. Then she left the room, leaving Elena feeling even more frustrated, but also, with a new perspective on Katherine.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily arrived home a few minutes later, completely excited to see Elena. She practically was the one dragging Elena up the stairs to her bedroom. "I gots to show you something" she said, digging through her backpack to find what she was looking for. Elena sat down, taking small breaths to keep herself in check. "Here it is!" Lily said, jumping up on her bed with Elena. "I had to make a drawing of someone I love" she said, handing Elena the picture.

Elena's hand went to cover her mouth as she saw the picture of herself that the little girl had drawn. "You drew a picture of me?" Elena asked.

Lily nodded enthusiastically. "I love you" she smiled. "And I've already drawn a picture for Mommy and Daddy and Uncle Stefan. But I haven't drawn one for you" she explained. "I also got to talk about you when I shared my picture with my class" she added.

Elena blinked back her tears. Maybe she could steal this kid and live happily ever after with her in Los Angeles. "Yeah?" she asked, trying to hide the fact that she was crying.

"Yeah" she nodded. "I told them that you married my Uncle Stefan because you love him and he loves you. And that you are lots of fun to spend time with and pretty and smart" she rattled off. "Oh, I also told them how you want to be a writer and that you're really good."

"You think I'm a good writer?" Elena asked, a bit surprised.

Lily nodded. "Uncle Stefan read me a paper you wrote about kids and elephants" she explained. Elena laughed somewhat through her tears. She had asked Stefan to proofread one of her pieces for her creative writing class. He must have proofread it with Lily. "Why are you crying?" Lily asked.

Elena blew out a small breath. "I uh, I have to talk to you about something kiddo" she said, setting her picture down and turning more to face Lily.

"Do you have a baby in your tummy?" Lily asked, her eyes lighting up at the thought.

Elena shook her head. "No, sweetie, I don't" she said. "You know how I just graduated?" she asked. Lily nodded. "Well, I got a job in California, so I'm going to move out there for a little while so I can work" she explained. "You remember my brother and Bonnie live there?" she asked.

Lily nodded slowly. "Daddy showed me where it was on the map" she said, her big brown eyes, usually filled with excitement and passion, were threatening to spill with their own tears. "But that's really far away" she said, her bottom lip beginning to quiver.

Elena grabbed her little hand and nodded sadly. "Yeah, it is" Elena agreed.

"What about Uncle Stefan?" Lily asked, her eyes trained on Elena.

"Well, he's going to stay here" Elena assured her, though Lily did not seem any less relieved. "But I'm still going to go" she explained.

Lily stood up suddenly. "You can't leave Uncle Stefan. He loves you!" Lily said loudly.

"Lily, I love him too, okay. And I want everything to work out between us" she said, not quite sure that Lily would understand, but also not wanting to underestimate her. But Lily looked so upset.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, her bottom lip quivering even more. "Are you leaving because of me?" she asked.

Elena saw her first tear fall down her face and it literally crushed her. "No, sweetie. You didn't do anything wrong. I just need to do this for me. I know you might not understand now, but I hope one day you will" she explained quietly.

But Lily shook her head. "You can't leave!" Lily said, suddenly angry as she began to cry even more.

"I have to Lily" she said sadly, her own tears falling freely now. "But I will call you every day if that's okay with you" she tried.

Lily crossed her arms and glared at Elena. "If you leave I will never talk to you again" she threatened.

Elena sighed. "I'm leaving tomorrow morning Lily" Elena told her. "And I want us to be okay. Because I love you, so much. And I understand that you are upset right now. But I hope you can forgive me someday" Elena said, standing up. "Can I have a hug goodbye?" she asked.

Lily's eyes flashed with hatred. "I HATE you!" she screamed at Elena before turning around and running out of her room.

Elena wouldn't deny it. That had hurt. A lot. She told herself that Lily didn't mean it. But there was a part of her that believed that Lily did truly hate her. Because Elena hated herself, too.

**A/N: So? What do you think? Should I run and hide?**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: First off, this is a little short. I apologize, but a wind storm is coming and chances are, my power will be out by later tonight and I wouldn't be able to update tomorrow. **

**Second. I realize that about half of the reviews sounded heartbroken and wanted this fixed and the other half were heartbroken but loving where this is going. All I can say is, keep reading. I put the heartbreak in here for a reason. The same reason the writers of TVD are breaking our hearts on the show right now. ;) I do have a heart, I promise!**

She didn't expect Stefan to give her a ride to the airport, but she had hoped that he would be there to say goodbye. But when she woke up, his car was gone. Every time she checked out the window, his car was still gone. But she told herself that she was not going to get upset. She had too much to look forward to once she got to LA. Jeremy and Bonnie were going to get her from the airport and then help her unpack. They would probably have dinner too. Elena was looking forward to seeing them. She just wasn't looking forward to leaving Mystic Falls.

Six months ago she remembered how she used to count down the days until she would be able to divorce Stefan, collect her money, and get the hell away from him. But he truly was a really great guy who really didn't have it all like she had once thought. So now, six months later, she realized how much it was going to hurt when the reality of it sunk in. She was going to LA and leaving Stefan behind.

So she was extremely surprised to see the front door open and for Stefan to walk in just as she was about ready to head out the door. They both froze momentarily. She noticed that he looked really tired. "Hey" she said quietly. Stefan noticed the suitcase she was pulling behind her. He stared at it for a minute or two. Then he heard a car horn honk. "That's my taxi" she said.

But he didn't move, nor did he make any indication that he would. So Elena grabbed her bag and began to walk closer to him. She avoided his heartbroken eyes as she gently wrapped her arms around him to give him one last hug. At first, he didn't reciprocate. But as the seconds wore on, his hands slowly made their way to her back before his arms wrapped completely around her, forcing her closer to him. Elena felt him bury his face into the crook of her neck. It broke her heart, but it was time to go. The taxi honked again. "Stefan" she choked out, because yes, she was crying now. "I have to go" she told him, removing her arms and attempting to step back. But he wasn't letting her go. Elena pushed gently against his chest, but he refused to let go of her. "Stefan" she tried again.

She felt him shake his head against her neck. "No" he whispered. She felt his own tears trickle down her neck and get soaked up by her sweater.

"Stefan you have to let me go" she told him, pushing harder. But she felt his grip on her tighten. The taxi honked once again. She half wondered if she meant forever when she had told him to let her go.

Elena felt his lips on her neck, kissing her. She gave up and rested her head against him. "Don't leave me" he whispered, his voice full of begging. "I love you so much. Please don't leave me" he whispered again.

It was too much for Elena to handle. Him crying and begging her to stay. She grabbed his face with her hands and brought his face to hers. His tired, tear-filled eyes locked with hers as she rested her head against his. "I love you so much" she told him, pressing a firm, gentle kiss on his lips. "I'll call you when I get settled in" she told him sadly.

Stefan's eyes suddenly turned dark upon hearing her. His arms let go of her instantly and he backed away from her. Angry. Crushed. That is how he looked and Elena assumed, how he felt. He slowly walked away from her and Elena wanted so desperately to stop him. But the honking horn stopped her. It was time to leave. And so, she left.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Three days. Elena had been in LA for three days. The job was going great. She had her own office and the guy training her was fantastic. Smart, funny, and down to earth. She considered herself lucky. She absolutely loved the job and really felt successful while doing it.

Her apartment was really nice too. Bonnie and Jeremy had been over a few times to help her get things unpacked. It was only a short drive for them, depending on traffic. And while she loved having them over, a sense of loneliness consumed her when they left. She missed Lily's laughter filling the air. But most of all, she missed falling asleep with Stefan and waking up with him, only to kiss him before either one of them left for the day. She missed him.

Elena had called three times every day since she arrived in LA, but Stefan had not picked up his phone or called her back. She told herself that she wasn't going to give up, but as the days passed, she started to wonder if he would ever speak to her again. Lily wouldn't take her calls either. Elena was talking to Damon more than anyone lately.

Elena grabbed her phone and sat down on the couch. She scrolled through her contacts and found Stefan. When it was ringing, she waited patiently for what she knew would be coming. His voicemail. "Stefan, it's me. I hope you have been getting my messages" she told him, pausing for a moment. "I would really like you to come out and see me next weekend" she said, the thought of it making her feel extremely happy. "Please call me back. I love you" she said, hanging up her phone.

She tapped her phone against the couch for a few minutes before calling Damon. She pretty much knew what to expect though. "Hey Elena, hold on" Damon said. "Lily, it's Elena" she heard Damon say.

"I don't wanna talk to her. I hate her" Elena heard Lily say in the background. That's pretty much what Lily had been saying every time that Elena had called.

"I'm sorry Elena. Maybe tomorrow" Damon told her apologetically.

Elena nodded, though tears began to well up in her eyes. "Yeah, maybe" she said. Then she took a big breath. "How's Stefan?" she asked.

There was a long pause on Damon's end. "He still hasn't called?" Damon asked. But Damon already knew that because Stefan had told him as much the last time he was over.

"Damon" Elena said sadly. "Is he ever going to talk to me again?" she asked, figuring Damon would know best.

Damon sighed. He sounded exhausted. "Well, he started talking to me and Katherine again" Damon reminded her. "Though, that was because of Lily" he added. "Any chance you have a baby to act as a buffer?" he asked.

It was supposed to be funny. Elena knew that, but all she wanted to do was break down and sob. "No, no baby" she said, wiping at her tears. She had always been so careful. First, because the last thing she wanted was to bring a child into the world with Derrick. Then with Stefan, she hadn't wanted to burden him with a child he didn't want.

"Maybe you should come back here for a few days, Elena" Damon said. He wasn't really suggesting this to her, but more like telling her that she needed to.

"I can't, Damon" Elena told him. She knew that if she went back, she wouldn't leave. And right now, LA was where she needed to be. "Look, I have to go. Tell Lily I love her" Elena said, hanging up quickly. She tossed her phone onto the table with more force than was needed. But she was upset. Elena grabbed a couch pillow and hugged it tightly as she cried.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily had her face in her pillow as she lay on her bed. She didn't want to come downstairs for dinner. She didn't want to spend time with her dad. And she definitely did not want to talk to Elena on the phone either. "Hey Kiddo" Stefan said, sitting on her bed and rubbing her back. "What are you doing up here all by yourself?" he asked.

Lily rolled over and looked up at him. Then she shrugged. "I don't know" she answered.

"Is something bothering you?" he asked. He pretty much knew what it was. The same thing that was bothering him. "Wanna talk about it?" he asked.

Again, Lily shrugged. "I hate her" Lily said under her breath.

"What?" Stefan asked, knowing she said something but not being able to quite catch what it was.

"I hate Elena" Lily said, a little louder. Her little eyes were filled with such hatred and it physically hurt Stefan to see her that way.

Stefan grabbed her gently, sitting her up so he could talk to her face to face. "I know that you're angry with Elena right now" Stefan said, looking into her dark brown eyes. "But I never, ever want to hear you say that you hate Elena, okay?" he asked her. "Hating Elena is not something that either of us are going to do" he told her. He realized that this little talk applied to him too. He couldn't hate Elena. He could be mad at her, but he couldn't hate her.

Lily nodded. If anyone else had told her that, she would have ignored them. But she would do and believe anything Stefan said because she trusted him more than anyone. "Why'd she go, Uncle Stefan?" Lily asked sadly.

_Because of me,_ Stefan wanted to tell her. "Elena just … needs some time to figure some things out" Stefan answered. "You know how sometimes you get really upset and you have to go in a timeout to calm down and think about stuff?" he asked.

"What's she mad about?" Lily asked.

Stefan sighed. "She's confused about things" Stefan said, being as vague as possible. But he knew that he had confused Elena. Hell, he had confused himself.

"Is she gonna come back?" Lily asked.

This was the hard part. He was pretty confident that she wasn't coming back. But he wanted Lily to have some hope. "I'm not sure, Lily" he told her. It wasn't a yes, but it wasn't a no either. "But you still have me" he said, smiling softly.

Lily burst into tears suddenly, closing her eyes as she cried. "I want Elena" she said, beginning to sob.

Stefan pulled Lily into his arms, kissing her hair in an attempt to soothe her. "I know you do" he said softly. He did too.

"Make her come back Uncle Stefan" Lily cried, burying her face into his shirt. "Just make her come back!"

Stefan held her tighter, wishing he could fix this. Fix all of this. The last thing he wanted was for Lily to get hurt. Then again, he reminded himself that there never was supposed to be an Elena and Lily. "I can't, Lily" he told her painfully. "I can't." It was his job to protect her and all he had done was set Lily up for heartbreak. It was selfish of him. Though, he had made Elena promise that she would remain in Lily's life. Fat chance of that happening with Elena clear across the country though.

He listened to her cry for another ten minutes or so and his heart broke a little more than it already had.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The moment Stefan opened his front door, Caroline flung herself into his arms, hugging him as tight as she could. "I'm so sorry" she told him.

Stefan wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. It felt nice to be this close to someone, especially after his emotional encounter earlier with Lily. "It's okay" he told her.

Caroline pulled away from him abruptly. "The hell it is!" she said, her eyes full of anger and sympathy. "And to hell with her. She doesn't deserve you anyway" Caroline told him. She didn't feel as confident saying it as she wanted to. Ever since Caroline heard about Elena kissing Damon, she had become weary about her though.

Stefan shook his head. "You don't understand, Caroline" he told her, walking away from her.

"Understand what? She left you Stefan. She got what she wanted out of you" Caroline said. "And I was stupid enough to believe that she really loved you."

"I paid her to marry me" Stefan stated, catching Caroline's disbelieving eyes quickly. "I wanted to get my inheritance, but I couldn't without being married" he said. "So I found her working at a diner in town and I wouldn't back off until she agreed to marry me and help me get my money" he explained.

Caroline stepped back from him, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Oh, Stefan" she said, clearly heartbroken and confused. "Tell me you didn't do that" she said, her voice pleading with him.

Stefan felt guilty. Caroline had always believed in happily ever after. And he had made her believe that he had found his. "I'm sorry, Care" he told her, not being able to look in her eyes.

"This whole time?" she asked. "You pretended to be in love with her this whole time?" she asked again.

He wanted to tell Caroline the truth. He needed too. "I pretended in the beginning" he answered.

Caroline raised her eyebrows. "Then when did you stop pretending?" she asked.

Stefan shrugged. "It doesn't matter, Care. She's gone" he told her.

Her eyes softened at how vulnerable he sounded. Like he was really torn over Elena leaving. "Of course it matters, Stefan" she told him, taking a few steps closer.

Stefan looked around the room for a moment, trying to think of how he should answer that. "I guess when I found out that her ex-boyfriend used to beat the shit out of her" he answered. He saw the horrified look on Caroline's face. "It made me think of my mom and I just … I felt responsible for Elena and then we started spending more time together and pretty soon …" he trailed off, not finding it necessary to continue. He looked up at her again. "She never wanted anything from me, Care" he stated. "She never once used my money willingly. All she wanted was for me to commit to her after our contract was up and I … I couldn't" he added.

Caroline closed the gap between them. "Why the hell not?" she asked, beginning to take Elena's side.

"Because … because I'm an idiot" he answered. It was that simple.

Caroline smiled softly. "So go and get her back" she encouraged. He obviously loved her.

But Stefan shook his head slowly. "I tried, Care. I tried to make her stay, but she wouldn't" he told her. Caroline was about to protest, but he stopped her. "It's over" he said. "She's gone." With that, he left Caroline standing where she was.

**A/N: The next update will begin somewhat of a part two of my story. It will jump ahead one month. Elena will be somewhat surprised by something. But no, she's not pregnant. Hmmm … until next time ;)**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: This update is short and sort of a filler, but it does lead in to the next part of the story quite nicely. **

**As always, please read and let me know what you think! **

One month. Elena knew she had been in LA for one month because her co-workers had flooded her office with balloons and flowers to congratulate her for making it past the introductory training for the new job. Now, for the most part, she would be working on her own. And she was ready to do so.

Everything about the day was perfect. Her co-workers brought her lunch. They congratulated her every time they bumped into her in the hallway. She felt like she deserved this recognition too. She had put as much time and effort into this job as she possibly could. Though it wasn't hard when she had a reason to work so much. A need to keep her mind distracted.

Stefan still hadn't returned her calls. She gave up two weeks ago after two weeks of calling every day, leaving messages every day, and every day, hearing nothing back. So, she gave up finally. It became easier to forget until she would run across a photo of them – though there weren't many – and then she would break down into tears. Because when all was said and done, she still loved him, despite how hurt she was that he wouldn't even call her.

Elena knew that she had hurt Stefan too. She sometimes thought about what life would be like right now if she had decided to stay with Stefan in Mystic Falls. Would he treat her the same way for the rest of their lives? Part of her wanted to question his loyalty to her, especially when she thought about his partying tendencies and all of the women that kept him company. Then again, he hadn't partied or met up with any women the whole six months that he was married to her. But could he stay away from all of that forever? She really hated all this doubt that had built up inside of her.

Stefan had also been hell bent on not wanting a family of his own. Elena wanted kids of her own. Two. One boy and one girl. It saddened her to think that they wanted such different things, even though they were in love. Well, maybe she was the only one still in love. Maybe Stefan had moved on with a woman who didn't want a family and who just wanted to spend his money and warm his bed. The thought made her sick.

Elena still hadn't collected her one million dollars. She remembered back when she had been so eager to have that much money. She was going to make sure Bonnie and Jeremy were taken care of, but Bonnie had made it clear that they didn't need Elena taking care of them. Elena had planned on buying her family home back, but now that she was in California, she didn't think it would be very practical to own a home clear across the country. She had also planned to pay off her student loans with the money Stefan owed her. Then he went and paid her loans for her as a graduation present.

So now, the money would only serve to make her feel guilty because she had broken the rules and fallen in love with him. He had done so much for her. He loved her and protected her. But most of all, he had believed in her. So, taking his money was no longer an option. It wouldn't be right.

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of her co-workers tapping on her door. "Come in" Elena smiled, even though she didn't feel like smiling anymore today.

"I just wanted to congratulate you again" the woman smiled. "A few of us were going out for drinks. Did you want to join us?" she asked, walking further into the office.

Elena shook her head. "I think I am going to stay in this evening, but thank you" she replied politely.

"Okay" the woman said cheerfully. She was about to exit the room when she noticed a framed photo sitting on Elena's desk that she hadn't seen before. "Who's this cutie?" she asked, grabbing the photo and picking it up.

Elena's heart hurt quite a bit just thinking about Lily. The little girl had continued refused to take her calls and like with Stefan, Elena had eventually given up. "My niece, Lily" she told her. It was weird to call Lily her niece, seeing as how she never had in the past. But technically, she was Lily's aunt. "She'll be seven in a few months." Elena secretly wondered if she would get an invite. If Lily would even want her there. If anyone would want her there.

"She's the most precious thing I have ever seen!" she woman gushed. "I didn't know your brother had a child" she said, turning her attention back to Elena.

"He doesn't" Elena answered. "She's my husband's niece."

"Oh" the woman said, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation now. What little Elena had told the office about her marriage to Stefan was hardly ever discussed at a later time. Elena often described her and Stefan as being separated and needing some space. That is the excuse she used when one of her male co-workers had asked her out on a date. He was a nice enough guy. He just wasn't Stefan. It was hard to move on when your heart was somewhere else.

In reality though, Elena knew that her marriage was over. That was why she had stopped wearing her wedding ring. She had cried herself to sleep the first night she took it off and placed it in the top drawer of her dresser. "Well, have a good night in" her co-worker said, bidding Elena goodbye and disappearing out of the room. Elena sighed. It felt so forced to bring up Stefan in a conversation with anyone. It was difficult just thinking about him.

So it really was no surprise to her then when she received a large envelope from a Mr. John Henderson, Stefan's lawyer from New York. She had ran across his name a few times when she had first met Stefan because Stefan had been so concerned about protecting what was his. Elena had wondered how long it would take for Stefan to sign the divorce papers and get her a copy too. She had to laugh when she saw the high cost of postage on the envelope. The lawyer had sent it overnight. Apparently, Stefan couldn't stand to be married to her for one more day.

She stared at the envelope on her desk for a moment, knowing what it was, but not wanting to open it just yet. A failed marriage, before her 24th birthday. She laughed at the thought. A failed fake marriage, rather. When she thought about it, she had been a pretty lousy wife. She couldn't cook and she only ever did her own laundry. She was so focused on school that Stefan's needs probably were second to her own. Then, the best of all occurred. She had run out on him. Yes, she definitely did not deserve to be called wife of the year.

But Elena knew she needed to open the envelope and sign the divorce papers. The sooner, the better. For both of them. She wasn't moving back. He wasn't speaking to her. It was time to officially move on.

She stared at the envelope once again before grabbing it and tearing it open. She pulled out a small stack of papers, each page flagged with a sticky tab, indicating where she needed to sign or initial. But as she glanced at the first page, her brow furrowed. These weren't divorce papers. No. These were something completely different.

They were papers designating her as the beneficiary to Stefan's estate. She flipped through the pages frantically, reading over everything she was entitled to upon his death. His bank accounts, stocks, various properties and houses she didn't know about, his car, his share in the family business, and even the 12 million dollars he had just inherited. What really confused her was that no one else was listed in the document to receive anything from Stefan. Not Damon and really surprisingly, not Lily.

It didn't make sense. He wasn't even speaking to her. Maybe, she thought, he appointed her as the beneficiary and had given her everything to make their marriage look more real in the beginning and he just forgot to undo it. His lawyer probably just got confused and sent her a copy. Yes, that made sense. But, she was going to call his lawyer just to confirm.

Elena dialed the number provided and waited impatiently for him to pick up. "John Henderson speaking" a voice said.

"This is Elena Gil … Salvatore" she corrected. "I just received some legal documents from your office" she stated.

"Ah, yes, Mrs. Salvatore" he said. She almost flinched at the sound of her last name. "Did you have any questions concerning what you needed to sign?" he asked.

She was dumbfounded. "Yes, actually. Why am I being sent these documents?" Elena asked, picking up a page and examining it.

"Well, Mr. Salvatore revised the documents yesterday afternoon. He asked me to get you the revised copies as soon as possible" he explained without exactly answering her question.

"But why?" Elena asked. That was the real question. Why would Stefan be thinking about his will and why on earth would be appoint her as the beneficiary and to receive everything?

"Mrs. Salvatore, I am not at liberty to discuss Mr. Salvatore's personal affairs" he kindly told her. "I am responsible for his legal ones" he answered. "So, is there anything you need help with concerning the documents?" he asked her.

Elena knew she couldn't sign them. She and Stefan probably wouldn't even be married much longer. "I'm not signing these without an explanation" she told him. Actually, she wasn't signing them at all. She didn't want anything of his. She didn't deserve anything.

"Well then, I would suggest that you speak with Mr. Salvatore" he told her. "If you have no more questions, I really must be going."

"No, I don't" she answered. "Thank you" she said before hanging up. She sighed, leaning back in her chair for a few minutes.

Then she dialed Stefan's number, knowing he wasn't going to pick up. He didn't. She tried Damon's number too and nothing.

Elena rested her head on her desk and closed her eyes. It was Friday. She was supposed to be going home and relaxing for the weekend.

Instead, she was going back to Mystic Falls.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena thanked the taxi driver for the ride and gave him a generous tip for having to drive way out to the middle of nowhere. She grabbed the single bag that she packed and made her way up to the Boarding House. Stefan's car was there and she hoped that meant that he was home. When she got up to his door, she stopped. Was she supposed to knock? What if he had company, namely, female company? She shuddered at the thought.

She let herself on in, feeling a boost of confidence as she held the obnoxious documents in her hand. "Stefan?" she asked. Downstairs seemed quiet. Elena made her way upstairs and walked towards his room. She passed by her old room and noticed it was exactly how she left it. But she kept walking.

He wasn't in his room and from what she could tell, he wasn't upstairs either. Elena went back outside and checked the barn. He wasn't there either, but she did feed the horses a handful of grain. Elena took her phone out and called him again. Still no answer.

Frustrated, Elena called Damon. When he did finally answer, it sounded really busy in the background. "I'm looking for Stefan. Do you know where he is?" Elena asked, listening hard because it was so hard to hear.

"Elena?" Damon asked through all the noise. "Where are you?" he asked, moving to a quieter area.

"I'm at the Boarding House. Where are you?" Elena asked.

"You're in Mystic Falls?" he asked, his voice clouded with anxiety and confusion. Never a good combination in Elena's opinion.

"Yeah, I received some documents from Stefan's lawyer and I flew out here to discuss them seeing as how I can't get ahold of Stefan" Elena explained. "Seriously, Damon, where are you?" she asked. "I can barely hear you."

"I'm …" he began, only to be interrupted by someone. "The doctor would like to speak with you about your brother now" Elena heard a woman say.

Elena zoned in on the words "doctor" and "brother" almost instantly. "Damon?" she asked. "What's going on?" she asked.

There was a pause and then an exhausted sigh. "Stefan's in the hospital. He's … not doing very well Elena" he told her. Another sigh. "If I were you, I would get to the hospital now" he added. Elena could hear more people talking to Damon. "Elena I have to go" Damon said, hanging up on her before she could protest.

Elena stared at her phone, her hand shaking. She was extremely confused and even more scared. But she tried to call Damon again, knowing he wouldn't pick up. She went back to the house to search for Stefan's keys, finding them hanging up in the kitchen where he always left them. She left her bag where she dropped it and took off out of the house.

Her thoughts were racing. So many things were running through her head. Was there an accident? =

She stopped in her tracks a few feet before she reached his car. Her mind flashed back over the postage on the envelope Stefan had sent to her. It had been overnighted. There would have been no need to send it that quickly unless something was terribly wrong.

Unless … he had reason to believe that he wasn't going to live.

**A/N: Will Elena be able to talk to Stefan? Will he even want to see her? **


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: First, I should mention that I do not have any background in the medical field, so anything you read is something I made up and we just have to go with it. I am trying to be vague with the details of what is happening for a reason because I know that if I did get detailed, things would start to not make sense. I just hope no one reading this story is a medical professional! **

**So, please do focus more on Stefan and Elena and less on the medical terminology I have tossed around. **

**I would love to hear what you think about this update. I really enjoyed writing it because I like when Stefan and Elena are real with each other : )**

Luckily for Elena, the hospital was small so she didn't have to navigate very far in order to find Stefan. She approached the ER first and identified herself as Stefan's wife. From there, they directed her to the third floor. The waiting area was small and filled up with Stefan's family and friends. Damon and Katherine, Alaric and Caroline, and Zach. They all looked surprised to see Elena come huffing and puffing into the waiting area. She had been running since the parking lot. Damon wasn't surprised though. "Who called her?" Katherine sneered.

"Stop it Katherine" Damon warned, seeing that Elena was about to either burst into tears or faint. Or both.

Katherine grabbed onto Damon's arm and pulled him close. "Stefan made it perfectly clear that he didn't want anyone to call her" she said aggressively, as though Elena was not standing a few feet from her.

"I don't give a shit what my brother said!" Damon spat at her. "She's his wife" Damon reminded.

"A wife who walked out on him!" she spat back, turning to glare at Elena to make her point known. Elena quickly averted her eyes to the floor in shame.

"Don't you dare start giving speeches about what it means to be a wife" he told her, seething mad from his frustration coupled with his fear and his stress.

Katherine let go of him forcefully and narrowed her eyes at him. "You're an inconsiderate ass" she told him, taking a few steps back and crossing her arms.

"Enough you two" Zach interfered. "We are all here for the same reason" he announced. "Elena has the same right to be here as we all do. And we are not going to argue about it. Got it?" he asked, eyeing Elena.

Elena silently thanked him with a small nod. She looked around her. Everyone was exhausted, scared, and distracted. Katherine sat down, but continued to glare at her. Elena had more important things to worry about though. "Can I talk to you?" Elena asked Damon. He nodded and followed Elena down the hall. "What happened?" was the first question to escape from her.

Damon rubbed a hand over his tired eyes. "He called me complaining of pain in his stomach Thursday night. I came and took him to the emergency room and they ran some tests and said he had some sort of liver inflammation, probably due to some viral infection he had a while back that lingered in his body" he explained. "He's been hooked up to all sorts of monitors and they've been pumping stuff into him the whole time. But he's not responding to the medication" he added.

Elena tried to read the expression on his face, but Damon wasn't going to give her anything to go with. "He's not responding to medication" Elena repeated. "So … what does that mean?" she asked, too afraid to come up with her own answer.

Damon sighed. "It's not good, Elena. He's in a lot of pain because they don't want to give him anything that could interfere with the medications they're giving to him."

"Okay, so long term, what does that mean?" Elena asked, pushing for Damon to tell her what she didn't want to tell herself.

"His body is shutting down on him, Elena" Damon finally answered. "The inflammation is progressing." Elena couldn't stop the tears any more than she could stop her hand from covering her mouth. "Those documents that Stefan sent you …" Damon began. "The doctors recommended that he get his affairs in order while he was still lucid enough to do it."

"Oh God" Elena said, a sob escaping her as she was overcome with lightheadedness and began falling to the floor. Damon caught her, easing down with her so they could sit on the cold, hard tile. "I just … I …" she said, stumbling to find the words she needed to say. Her heart was pounding so hard that she found it hard to breathe. She began slowly gasping for air, holding her hand to her chest. "I can't breathe" she said, beginning to panic. She remembered this feeling. It was the same feeling she had when her parents had died. The same feeling she had when the doctors came out and told her that Jeremy might not survive.

"Elena" Damon said, shaking her leg slightly to try and get her to focus. But Elena was already so far into her anxiety attack that she couldn't hear anything except her heart thumping inside of her. Very faintly, Elena could see that Zach had approached and was kneeling beside her with Damon. "She's having some sort of attack" Damon said.

Damon backed up as Zach sat in front of her. "Elena" he said moving his finger in front of her eyes. Her eyes focused on his moving finger. "Feel your fingers" he told her, rubbing his fingers. He repeated it until Elena was making the same movements. "Feel your arms" he continued, moving his own arms for her to see what she needed to be doing. "Feel the floor" he finished with, placing his own hands on the cool tile. Elena did so and noticed how even her breathing had become just by doing this simple exercise. Damon stared on in amazement. Zach had made Elena bring herself back to a moment where she was not anxious or panicking. It was incredible to watch.

Elena took slow breaths until her heart rate returned to somewhat normal. She noticed both Zach and Damon staring at her. "I want to see Stefan" she said quietly as though nothing happened.

Zach nodded. "You can see Stefan, Elena" he told her. "But you have to realize that Stefan is not doing so great right now. He's in a lot of pain and his body is under attack. He looks as bad as he feels" he reminded her. Elena only nodded her acknowledgment of the current information.

Both Damon and Zach helped Elena up and walked slowly with her down the hall. Elena checked in and both offered to walk with her to Stefan's room, but she told them no. She could do this. Though, with every step she took towards his room, her anxiety began to build back up.

His blinds were shut and so was his door. But she had been told to go on in. The nurse had prompted her not to cause him any stress. He would be awake, but very exhausted. When Elena's hand reached for the door, she realized how sweaty she had become. When she finally pushed the door open and saw him lying helpless in the bed, silent tears involuntarily escaped from her eyes.

Stefan's eyes slowly opened at the sound of his door opening. His face showed some surprise, but he was so exhausted that he really couldn't show his emotions fully. Elena smiled, remembering what the nurse had said about not adding to Stefan's stress. But her tears were still present. "Hey" she whispered, shutting the door.

The corners of Stefan's mouth turned up slightly, but they quickly went back into their neutral place as he took a deep breath. Elena noticed that he appeared to be having a moment of severe pain and was trying to not let her know about it. "It's not a library" Stefan said with a small grin. She could tell it had taken a lot of effort to grin like that. "You don't have to whisper." Elena took small steps towards him until she reached his bed. She took a seat in the nearby chair, but didn't touch him. She didn't want to cause him anymore pain. So Stefan slowly and weakly reached over and grabbed her hand. She noticed that his grip was weak as well, but she was willing to bet that if she tried to pull away, he wouldn't have let go. "Don't cry, Elena" he said quietly and she thought he was having another moment of immense pain.

Elena smiled and shook her head as more tears came tumbling down her cheeks. "Allergies" she told him.

"Bullshit" Stefan smiled, closing his eyes for a moment to get a little rest. "Who called you?" he asked, opening his eyes again.

She rubbed his hand with her thumb gently. "I came out here and when I couldn't find you at home, I called Damon to ask where you were" she said, swallowing hard. He wasn't at home because he was here. "He kind of had to tell me where you were" she said, hoping Stefan wouldn't blame his brother.

Stefan studied her in his exhausted and pain-stricken haze. "You're too pretty to cry" he said softly, wishing he could reach over and wipe her tears. But he was just so weak and tired.

Elena laughed slightly. "You always could give a good compliment" she told him. Even as he was lying here in pain, he was so focused on her. It made her heart hurt that much more.

"You're easy to give compliments to" he smiled, taking in another sharp breath. His grip on her hand loosened, but she tightened her own hand around his. "So you signed the papers I sent you?" he asked once he felt he was able to.

Elena shook her head no. "No, Stefan. I didn't" she told him, her expression suddenly serious. "First, because you're not going to die" she told him. She refused to believe it, despite what any doctor said. They had been wrong about Jeremy and they sure as hell were wrong about Stefan. "And second, it wouldn't be right for me to take your money, you're houses, your share in the company …" she listed off. "If anyone should be entitled to that, it's Lily" she reminded him.

Stefan smiled. He knew she was going to put up a fight with this. She had morals and that made him love her even more. "Lily already is entitled to all the money she will ever need" he assured her. From Damon as well as from all that was set aside for her by Zach. The kid would never have to work a day in her life and could still live more than comfortably if she wanted to. Even though Damon, Stefan, and Zach wanted more for her, like an education and a career. The point was, Lily was set up for life.

Elena sighed. "You can't give all of that to me, Stefan" she told him, her eyes searching his. "You haven't even known me that long" she added.

"I've known you long enough to know that I love you" he told her without missing a beat. His eyes remained locked on hers. "I want to know that you will be taken care of financially. That you won't even have to worry about money" he explained. "I just want to make sure you're going to be okay" he said. By this point, both of them were crying.

Elena looked away for a moment, trying to calm her tears but it was no use. They only fell harder. "You think I'm going to be okay without you?" she asked in somewhat of a disappointed tone. Like he was telling her his money and his things were more important than him.

Stefan squeezed her hand as tight as he could, bringing her eyes back to his. "I'm thinking if I don't have a choice here, I will know that you will live comfortably for the rest of your life" he told her. "All I want is for you to find happiness, Elena. And if that means you want to travel around Europe or buy a newspaper or whatever, I'll at least know you can do those things" he explained.

"I want you" Elena said, letting it slip out so effortlessly. She didn't want anything except for him to live. She wiped at her face with the sleeve of her jacket. Another wave of pain washed over Stefan and he momentarily forgot about his conversation with Elena. "Stefan?" she asked when his eyes closed and his breathing became hitched. This time, it seemed to last longer.

"Just promise me, Elena, that you will sign those papers" Stefan said weakly, his eyes still closed as he gasped for air and clutched his stomach.

"Stefan?" Elena asked, panic filling her voice. The pain became worse and Stefan thought he was going to pass out. Elena quickly smacked the call button to get the nurses. They came filing in with the doctor who decided that Elena needed to leave the room.

As a nurse began to pull Elena out of the room, she heard Stefan continue to yell across the room to her. "Promise me Elena!" he yelled. "Promise me!" he said, his words becoming quieter. "Promise."

Then, Elena couldn't hear him anymore. Then, the door shut and she was left standing outside of his room, unaware of what was going on inside. She pressed her hand to the glass as she continued to cry. "I promise" she whispered before closing her eyes and losing herself in her own nightmare.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two hours. That was how long the doctors and nurses were behind the closed door of Stefan's room with him. Elena had sat against the wall in the hall, her eyes glued to the clock. Damon, Zach, Alaric, and Caroline had all come and sat with her, asking her if she was hungry or wanted something to drink or to get some sleep. She wondered how any of them could be thinking about any of those things right now. She wondered how any of them expected her to think about those things right now.

It truly was her nightmare with Jeremy all over again. The waiting to see if he was going to live or not. The pitying looks she received from strangers. The worried looks from those she did know.

The door opening made her jump. The nurses and doctor all filed out of Stefan's room with unreadable expressions. Elena looked up at them expectantly. "Miss, are you family?" the doctor asked her, looking down at her through his glasses.

Elena slowly stood up, hanging on to the wall for support. "I'm his wife" she said confidently. She thought they all wanted to kick her out of the hospital. But maybe she was just projecting her own feelings onto them because in all reality, she really did want to run from this place and never look back.

The doctor nodded. "Well, I'm afraid there isn't any better news to give" he explained. "The inflammation is still present and his vitals are lower than we would have hoped for by this point" he added. By this point, the rest of Stefan's family and friends were by Elena's side. "At this point, we would normally move forward by suggesting a liver transplant, but Stefan is not stable enough to undergo surgery. Then of course, there is always the issue of waiting for a donor to become available."

"What about a partial liver transplant?" Katherine asked, surprising everyone standing next to her. "What?" she asked. "Don't you ever watch Grey's Anatomy?" she questioned, narrowing her eyes at them all and crossing her arms.

The doctor nodded. "That is a possibility if one of you were a match. But like I said, Stefan is not stable enough to undergo surgery right now."

"So what do we do?" Damon asked, wanting and needing answers.

The doctor sighed. "We wait. If he can be stabilized enough for surgery, we can discuss that. But right now, I suggest you all spend time with him" the doctor said, practically telling them that Stefan was going to die and there was nothing that anyone could do.

"He's not going to die" Elena said, challenging the doctor's assumptions.

He looked at her momentarily. "I'm not saying he's going to die. I'm saying he's going to have to fight like hell" he stated. "I have another patient to get to, but I will be back to check on Stefan. In the meantime, one at a time in his room please" he said before walking off. His group followed him.

Everyone else remained quiet. "I'd like to be with Stefan right now" Elena said, keeping her eyes on the floor. No one seemed to oppose her, so without further hesitation, she walked back into his room. His eyes were still hazy and he looked like he had been sweating.

He smiled weakly when he saw that she was about ready to burst into tears. "They finally gave me a little something for the pain" he lied. "I'm okay now" he added. Elena slowly made her way over to the chair by his bed and took his hand gently. "Did you sign the papers?' he asked her.

Elena squeezed his hand. "I don't want to" she said quietly. She looked away for a moment and sighed before looking back at him. "But I will, if that's what you really want" she told him.

"It is" he said, nodding slowly. Even that subtle move hurt. Then there was a long pause. "So, what are you going to spend the 12 million dollars on?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood.

It hurt her to think about that. So, she decided to ignore the fact that Stefan assumed he was going to die. "Not me, we" she told him, a glint of hope filling her eyes. "We can go somewhere for a little while, get out of this town" she told him.

Stefan laughed lightly at the idea, but he played along. The thought of spending time with her was nice at a time like this. "Yeah?" he asked. "Where are we going to go?" he asked, rubbing her hand with his thumb and closing his eyes momentarily.

Elena thought about it for a moment. "Alaska" she said. She smiled when Stefan opened his eyes and grinned. "What?" she asked.

"Out of every place we could go, you'd pick Alaska?" he asked her. He had been there once when he was younger. There was a lot of snow. "I was kind of picturing you on a beach someplace warm" he told her.

Elena leaned in a little closer, getting a little excited with their plans. Because thinking about things like Alaska and beaches was so much better than thinking about Stefan dying. "I've never been to Alaska" she told him with a small smile.

"It's cold there" Stefan informed her.

"Which means we would have to get a cabin with a fireplace so we could cuddle up together and stay warm" she smiled quietly.

Stefan closed his eyes once again as a wave of pain washed over him. When it passed, he opened his eyes again. "I guess I can handle cuddling by a fireplace with you" he smiled weakly.

Elena had realized that he was in pain again. She hadn't wanted to point it out because he was trying so hard to hide it from her. "Then it's settled. We'll go to Alaska" she told him.

"I'll take you to Alaska" Stefan smiled, slowly bringing their intertwined hands to his lips and kissing her hand. He continued to hold their hands near his chest as he looked up at her. "Elena" he said, his voice serious now. No more daydreaming about what they would be doing together. "We both know there's a good chance that I'm not going to walk away from this hospital" he told her.

Elena was already shaking her head. "Yes you are" she told him. "You're not dying anytime soon" she stated stubbornly.

"Elena" he said, squeezing her hand tighter. "I need you to be realistic with me" he told her. "And if I don't make it out of here, I need you to know a few things" he said, taking a deep breath. Elena decided to keep quiet now and to let him speak. Because she knew there was a possibility he wouldn't live, even though she wasn't going to focus on that. "I love you, so much" he told her, smiling when she smiled at him. "And every day I wish I had fallen in love with you first" he said, locking eyes with her. "You are going to be so successful in life, with or without me, and I just want you to know that I support you, no matter where you are or what you are doing" he said, squeezing her hand again. "And I'm sorry I let my own pride get in the way the past month. I should have called you. I should have come to see you" he said, and by this point, he had tears coming out of his eyes. He was angry with himself. "I lost a whole month with you" he told her sadly. "I'm so sorry" he said, bringing her hand to lips again and kissing it as he closed his eyes and cried softly.

Elena closed her eyes and leaned in even closer until her head was resting against his. "Don't be sorry" she told him through her muffled crying. "I'm the one who is sorry. I never should have walked away from you" she said, this time in a whisper. "I love you so much" she added, kissing his neck softly.

Stefan wanted so desperately to put his arms around her and hold her close. But since that wasn't doable at the moment, having her this close was good enough for now. Because if he had to die, this moment right now with Elena was the one he wanted to have when it was all over.


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: I think this may be my favorite update I have written for this story. I was trying to capture a few different characters and their emotions in one update and I hope I was able to keep them in character while still making them vulnerable. That was the goal.**

**As I mentioned on Twitter (TVDVampireKat), I kind of surprised myself with this update. I had no intention of writing the story this way until I just started writing it and thought it worked. So, I would appreciate your thoughts and views on it : ) Thank you to all of those who leave me reviews here and comments on Twitter. It really helps to hear what you think!**

**Also, 99 followers on Twitter? Do all 99 of you really read my story? Wow. That's pretty amazing. Your comments always bring a smile to my face. I also love how into my stories you get, especially those of you who stay up way too late or read while you should be focusing on homework or class haha! **

**Thanks again you all. As I mentioned, I will be working on a one-shot as well. It will involve a power outage, Stefan, and Elena. That's all I will say on that ;) I might give more hints on Twitter. I like to do that!**

Stefan had fallen asleep about an hour ago. Or rather, the doctors had put him to sleep so he could rest peacefully. But as Elena watched him, she thought his rest was anything but peaceful. Elena could tell by watching his face and his irregular breathing.

Elena would smooth out his messy hair from time to time and fix his blanket repeatedly. Because she didn't know what else to do. It was early Sunday morning and she knew she was going to miss her flight back to California. She also knew that she didn't care because she needed to be here right now. She left a message on her supervisor's phone explaining the situation and asking him to call her back as soon as he could.

So Elena continued to sit and watch Stefan for a few more hours until the nurse came and asked her to leave for a little bit so she could do what she needed to do. Elena waited outside by the window and looked in, watching the nurse check monitors and vitals and whatever else she needed to do.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump. She hadn't even heard Damon approach. "You should go and get some rest" he told her. The time change from LA to Mystic Falls couldn't have been helping matters.

But Elena just shook her head. "I'm fine" she insisted. "Where's Lily?" she asked, wondering how much the little girl knew.

"With the babysitter" Damon answered. Elena was surprised. Lily had never had a babysitter before. Damon picked up on her surprise. "I guess we never realized how much we depended on you to watch her" he smiled lightly. The babysitter was just occasional. Also, a disaster because Lily hated her. "Katherine ran home to check on her." Elena nodded. "You need to eat Elena" he told her. When Elena began to shake her head to refuse, he stopped her. "Stefan has enough to worry about right now. He doesn't need to worry about you not eating" he told her gently.

Elena held his tired eyes for a moment before giving up and walking away. Maybe she could find something edible in the cafeteria.

She ended up with a blueberry muffin and a bottle of water, even though food was the last thing on her mind. Elena found a small table in the corner of the cafeteria with a window view. It was still dark out, but she could see the sunrise beginning. "It's supposed to be a nice day today" Zach mentioned as he approached her table with a blueberry muffin of his own. "Weather wise, I mean" he clarified.

Elena nodded as she picked at her muffin. There had been something eating away at her for a long time. She looked up at Zach who watched her carefully. "It was all a lie" Elena said. He set his muffin down and listened. "We weren't in love when we got married. I didn't even know him. But he promised me one million dollars if I stayed married to him for six months" she explained, feeling tears prick at the back of her eyes. She felt like a terrible person. She couldn't even begin to imagine what he thought of her.

Zach sighed, clearly not too affected by the news. "I know" he said quietly. "I know why Stefan married you" he clarified.

Elena sniffled slightly as she wiped away a tear. "Then why did you let the marriage happen?" she asked, almost accusing him in a way. He should have confronted them and then Stefan would have had to call the whole thing off.

"Because" Zach answered. "I had hoped that within six months' time, Stefan would have fallen in love with you for real" he explained. Elena stared at him blankly. "All I have ever wanted was for Stefan and Damon to be happy. To meet someone who completed them and to fall in love and start a family. I know that Stefan is still young, but I also know that him going from girl to girl and partying the way he was doing was not good for him. He wasn't happy. He was most happy when he was in love, and although Katherine was a disaster, I knew that if he could fall in love again with a girl who loved him as much as he loved her, then he would have everything he needed" he continued. "When I met you that night, although I knew why you were agreeing to marry him, I also knew that you were a good person and quite possibly, someone who was going to make Stefan happy." Zach smiled. "And you do make him happy. Happier than I have seen him in a long time."

Elena wiped at another tear. "And just like Katherine, I broke his heart" she reminded. "Clearly I am not the person you believed me to be." She looked back down at her muffin.

"I never said you were perfect, Elena" Zach said. "But Stefan doesn't need perfect. He doesn't want it either." He sighed before continuing. "We all make mistakes. Some make bigger mistakes than others. But you're here now" he reminded her. "I know what Stefan is leaving you in his will. If you weren't the girl I thought you were, you wouldn't be here with Stefan right now. You'd be back in LA, waiting for him to die so you could collect."

At the mention of Stefan's will and him possibly dying, Elena couldn't help the tears that were flowing freely now. It just all hurt too much. "I don't want any of that. His money, the properties. None of it is worth losing him" she said, her hands shielding her face. "I don't want to sign those papers. I don't even want to think about any of it."

Zach sat quietly and nodded for a moment. "He's protecting you, you know" Zach mentioned quietly. "He needs to know you're going to be okay if he can't be here to make sure of it himself" he added. "It's okay for you to hate the idea of signing them, but you need to do it for Stefan. He needs this." Seeing that Elena was not going to respond to that, Zach got up with his partially eaten muffin. "I'll be upstairs if you need anything" he said and walked away.

Elena was left to sit there by herself with her thoughts. She had picked the muffin apart until it was nothing but a pile of crumbs.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan woke up to a beautiful face staring at him. He didn't feel well-rested at all. "Finally, I've been waiting" she said, putting her nail file away.

"Hello to you too Katherine" he said, groaning slightly as he tried to reposition himself on the bed.

"So when are you going to stop this whole charade and move on?" she asked. "This whole worrying about you thing is getting a bit taxing." To anyone else, her comment might have been taken as rude and selfish. But to Stefan, who had known her for so long now, it put a smile on his face. Because even under that rough exterior, he could see in her eyes that she was scared and worried.

Stefan reached his hand over slowly and grabbed her hand. "Thank you for not treating me like I'm dying" he said, a tired smile tugging at his lips. He loved her for it, too.

"You know how much I like to be the center of attention" she reminded him. "Now with all the attention on you, I'm getting a little bored."

Stefan smiled again. "Can you do me a favor?" he asked, closing his eyes briefly. "If I don't make it …" he began, opening his eyes to see her eyes wide and bright staring right back at him.

"You're not dying anytime soon Stefan" she said, cutting him off. It just wasn't an option.

"Katherine" he warned, telling her that he needed to finish what he was going to say.

"I mean it Stefan. You know how you walk out of here alive?" she asked him, her voice raised some. "You believe that you will walk out of here alive. You kick your liver in the ass and make it start cooperating. That's what you do" she explained to him.

But as she did, he saw her eyes glisten with tears. Even she couldn't be completely strong at a time like this. "Katherine" he said, squeezing her hand.

"No" she said, shaking her head and finally breaking down. Crying was not something she liked to do in front of others. It made her look weak. But the one thing she had learned a little too late was that it was okay to be weak in front of Stefan. It was okay to ask him for help or admit to him that you made a mistake. "That little girl needs you. I need you" she said, lowering her head onto his bed and burying her tear-stained face in the blanket.

Stefan let go of her hand and rested it on top of her head, rubbing slow circles to try and sooth her. They stayed like that for a short while until he spoke again. "Katherine" he said. This time she slowly lifted her head and he could see where her mascara had run down her cheeks. She would have freaked out had she known she looked like that, but he thought she still looked beautiful. "I need you to put Lily first. All the time. Every time" he told her. "You and Damon can be happy if you try. So I'm asking you. Try. For Lily. She deserves two parents who are happy and who love her."

Katherine listened to every word he said. She always did, even when he thought she wasn't listening. "I'm a terrible mother" she admitted.

"Then be a better one" Stefan told her. "You still have time. She's such a beautiful, forgiving little girl. Make sure she stays that way" Stefan smiled weakly as a tear fell down his own cheek.

"She wants to see you, you know" Katherine told him.

Right then was when she started to see Stefan stumble. "No. I can't let her see me like this" he told her. He had refused to let Damon bring Lily in the first place.

"She knows something is wrong" Katherine replied. "She's a smart kid. And she's worried about you" she told him. "She's strong. She can handle seeing you right now."

"She gets that from me" Stefan said, smiling at his attempt to change the subject.

"You wish" Katherine said, laughing slightly. Then she became serious again. "I'm going to bring her by this afternoon. I'll even put some foundation on your face so you don't look so pale" she said, only half joking.

Stefan sighed. There was only one way, and that was Katherine's way. "Okay. Bring her by" he told her. She stood and took a deep breath, trying to compose herself because there was no way in hell she was going to walk out there and let everyone see her such a mess. "You might want to use my bathroom to check your makeup" he mentioned.

"Oh God, did something run or smudge?" she asked.

Stefan smiled. He was kind of glad that her makeup was her biggest worry at the moment. "Just a little" he said as she went into his bathroom.

"Holy shit. I look like a cheap hooker" she said, dabbing at her face with a cloth and water. She then moved on to her hair.

"You always were a bit too expensive for me" he called out. A toothbrush came flying at him, hitting him in the arm. He heard her curse in French and it made him laugh. Just like old times.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Alaric had beat Elena to Stefan next and let himself into Stefan's room. Stefan raised his hand and did his best to wave to his friend who came in and sat down by him. "Hey man" Stefan said.

"You look like shit" Alaric said, laughing at his friend. Stefan laughed lightly too. He knew he did.

"Where's Elena?" Stefan asked. He wouldn't lie that he was a little scared to not have her in sight for fear that she had left again.

"Your brother guilt-tripped her in to going and getting something to eat" Alaric said.

Stefan nodded. "Good" he said. He had been worrying about her. She needed sleep too. "They started me on this new drug" he said, making small talk. "The doctor didn't seem too confident about it."

"Screw these doctors" Alaric said. "First thing I'm going to do when we leave here is by you a beer."

Stefan smiled, appreciating his friend even more. But Stefan didn't say anything more and neither did Alaric for a bit. After about ten minutes, Stefan broke the silence. "Can I ask you a favor?" he asked.

Alaric sat up some. "Of course" he told Stefan.

"Just make sure she doesn't end up with another jackass" Stefan said, staring at the wall in front of him with a photo of a tree on it. He couldn't handle the thought of it.

"That's your job, not mine" Alaric told him, giving Stefan no room to start talking as if he was dying.

"I'm just saying …" Stefan began, only to be cut off by his friend.

"I'm just saying, it's not my job" Alaric said sternly. "You're going to stop talking like you're giving up and put all your energy towards getting better" he stated, standing up. "I'm going to go and check on Caroline."

Stefan smiled. "Caroline, huh?" he asked. Caroline had been in a few times to see him, each time telling him about the latest news reports or showing him pictures of his horses since she had been caring for them since he went into the hospital. She always avoided any talk about his current situation and he kind of loved her for it.

"Shut up" Alaric said, a grin of his own forming. "I'll come back later" he added before leaving.

Stefan stared at the TV and debated on whether or not to watch something. He was saved from his internal debate when Elena entered his room a few minutes later, looking even more exhausted than when she left. She smiled softly, doing her best to be strong for him. "Hey" she said quietly, reaching down and kissing his forehead.

"You need to get some sleep" Stefan told her, holding her hand and rubbing it gently.

"I'm fine. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm better" he lied. He figured he had just developed a higher threshold for pain by this point. "What did you eat downstairs?" he asked.

"A muffin" she said, taking a seat. He didn't need to know that she really hadn't eaten any of it. "What did they feed you this morning?" she asked, figuring she had missed his breakfast while she was downstairs.

"I don't know, but it was disgusting" he told her. "I could really go for a pizza right now" he said, letting a small smile play on his lips.

"Maybe tomorrow" she said hopeful, checking his IV bag. "The doctor told me he started you on something new" she mentioned.

Stefan sighed. "I feel like a lab rat with all this crap they're pumping into me" he told her.

Elena frowned. "They are trying to make you better, Stefan" she said, a little disheartened that he seemed so critical with the medications they were trying.

He picked up on her reaction and quickly backed off. He didn't want to upset her. "I know. I just can't help but think about what else I could be doing right now" he told her. Things he could be doing with her, to her, for her.

"I know" she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "But when you get out of here, you can make up for all this time you've spent in the hospital" she added. Stefan grinned. If only she knew. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. I'm just picturing all the catching up I'm going to do with you naked" he said, shrugging lightly. He slowly and painfully let go of her hand and reached for her shirt, fingering one of the buttons.

"Stefan!" she gasped, smacking his hand away. "You can't say things like that here" she warned, looking around.

"Why not?" he protested. "Thoughts of you naked are keeping my hope alive" he told her, forgetting for a minute that he was extremely sick and in a lot of pain.

Elena began to blush from embarrassment. She hadn't been with Stefan in over a month. And quite frankly, she missed him. "When you come home, everything you're thinking about doing with me right now, we can do" she promised him, trying to keep the excitement alive while being as innocent as she figured she was expected to be in a hospital.

"Say more things like that" he said, closing his eyes to try and shut out an intense amount of pain that had suddenly appeared. And then the urge to puke overcame him. "On second thought, grab that garbage can" he said, sitting up and waving for it. Elena grabbed the small basket and put it in front of him and watched as he threw up everything he had eaten that morning. It wasn't just his breakfast though. He was throwing up blood now too. But she didn't want to panic in front of him.

Elena waited until he had finished before grabbing a wet cloth and wiping his mouth and offering him water. As she wiped him down, she noticed that he felt warmer than before. "I'm going to get the nurse" she said, leaving him momentarily. She ran faster than she thought she could to that nurse's station.

The nurse and doctor came back with a very worried Elena. Stefan wondered what they had told her. "I'd like to get you upstairs and run some more tests" he said, less hopeful than Elena and Stefan would have liked him to have sounded.

Stefan simply nodded, keeping his eyes on Elena. She walked over to him and grabbed his hand. "I'll be here when you get back" she promised.

"I love you" he told her, like it was the last time he was going to be able to tell her that. Because now he was really scared. His insides felt like they were on fire. He had just thrown up blood. He didn't need a medical degree to know that was not good.

"I love you too" she told him, moving aside as they began to wheel his bed out of the room. Elena stood back, running a shaky hand through her messy hair.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

They brought Stefan back to his room five hours later. Everything the doctor had told Stefan was worse than he had hoped for. He was getting worse.

Elena was waiting in his room when he returned. The doctor pulled her out to discuss things with her. When she returned, she looked even paler than before. "You doing okay?" she asked, taking her seat next to him.

"I could have used better news" he told her, sighing.

Elena shook her head. "I don't care what they say" she told him, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. "Everything is going to be fine" she said. Stefan wondered who she was trying to convince more.

"Elena, I'd like to be alone for a little while" he said. It had surprised her to hear him say that. "I just … I want to rest" he said, trying to reword what he meant. He just needed peace and quiet.

Slowly, Elena nodded as she stood. "Okay" she said, forcing a small smile. He let go of her hand and watched her go, instantly regretting it. But she was already gone.

Stefan slept for about an hour before the pain he was in woke him up. When he did wake up, a pair of brown eyes were sitting eye level with him. She was just staring at him, watching him. "Uncle Stefan" she whispered.

He smiled. "Hi baby girl" he said, still a little drowsy, still in pain. He didn't think she had been crying and he wanted to keep it that way. "How are you doing?" he asked.

She remained quiet for a moment as if thinking about what she wanted to say. "I miss you" she said so quietly, he really had to listen to hear her.

"I miss you too" he said, holding his hand out towards her. "Get up here" he smiled, letting her use his hand to balance herself on the chair so she could crawl up onto the bed. There really wasn't enough room for the both of them and moving to make room had hurt like hell, but he swore having her there, curled up with him, made him get that much better. "Much better" he said, resting his head against hers.

"Mommy said you was sick" she said quietly. "But you're not coughing or sneezing" she pointed out.

Stefan sighed. "I'm a different kind of sick. Like I have a really bad tummy ache" he said, trying to explain it to her.

Her big brown eyes watched his green ones for a moment, processing what he had just said. "Then why can't you come home and lay in bed?" she asked. "Like when I have a tummy ache and you let me watch TV and eat a popsicle" she mentioned.

"I wish I could go home and eat a popsicle" he said, smiling at her. "But this is a pretty bad tummy ache, so the doctors say I have to stay here" he explained.

"I could ask them if you can come home" she said, her little eyes filling with determination. "Maybe if I tell them I'll take real good care of you, they'll let you leave" she said hopeful.

But Stefan shook his head sadly. "Not this time, Lil" he said.

They remained quiet for a little while, though they continued to stare at each other. Then she spoke. "Tell me the truth, Uncle Stefan. Are you gonna be okay?" she asked, her eyes filled with worry, yet enough strength to prove that she could handle whatever he was going to tell her.

At that moment, all of the painful emotions he could feel washed over him. For so long, Lily had been the only person he spent so much time and energy on, trying to protect her as much as possible. And now, he had to be honest with her, which meant that he was going to shatter any sense of security she had.

With any other child, he probably would have lied and said he would be just fine. But with Lily, he knew that if he did end up dying, she would have lost any trust in the world that she still had left. And she would have hated him. And the thought of her hating him would probably kill him faster than his stupid liver.

So he smiled sadly at her, kissed her forehead, and braced himself. "The doctors don't think I'm going to be okay" he said, tears pricking at the backs of his eyes. He waited for her to begin crying, like he wanted to do.

But she didn't. She stared at him, not from shock, but because she was thinking. "What does Elena think?" she asked quietly.

That had shocked him. Lily hadn't talked about Elena in a long while. He wondered if she had seen her yet. "Elena thinks I'm going to be okay" he answered.

Lily wrapped her small arms around his neck and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Then you're going to be okay" she whispered.

Stefan kept his choking sobs in, not wanting to scare her, but he did let his tears go as he held on to her. Elena was right about a lot of things, but he wasn't willing to money on it this time. Stefan pulled away after a few moments and brushed her messy hair out of her eyes. "Let's go over the plan, okay?" he asked. She nodded. "What school are you going to get in to?" he asked.

"Harvard" she smiled.

Stefan smiled weakly. "That's right" he told her. "And what about boys when you get older?" he asked.

Lily scrunched up her face in disgust. "No boys 'cause boys are yucky" she answered. God he was so proud of her.

"Very good" he said, failing at holding back his laugh from her expression. "And who are you always going to listen to?" he asked.

"Daddy because he loves me and wants what's best for me" she answered proudly.

Stefan smiled. His brother owed him for that. "And if you ever need help, who are you going to call?" he asked.

Lily seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Elena" she said, even though that was not the original answer that they had worked out. Stefan felt his heart melt at the sheer fact that Lily still wanted Elena in her life. "Is that okay, Uncle Stefan?" she asked. "Or do I have to call Alaric?" she asked, stating the original answer and again, scrunching up her face.

Stefan laughed as he kissed the top of her head. "You call Elena first, then Alaric" he told her. Alaric had been the original answer because Stefan knew Alaric would always be there for Lily, no questions asked.

"Okay" she sighed, this time, looking a little sadder. Since Lily could talk, Stefan had come up with a plan with her on what would happen if he wasn't around. He never specifically talked to her about death, though he knew that was the only thing that would keep him from her. He just wanted to make sure she was prepared just in case one day, he couldn't be there for her.

"No matter what happens, it will be okay" he told her, wiping away a tear that fell from her eye.

Lily shook her head no. "I don't want you to leave me" she said as more tears fell down her face.

He swore his heart broke apart right inside his chest. "Don't cry, Lil" he told her softly. Her crying was going to kill him faster.

"Then you can't cry either" she countered, wiping away at his own tears on his face. Stefan smiled. She had him there. "Are you scared?" she asked quietly.

Honesty. "Yes" he answered. "I'm scared to leave you and Elena" he told her. Lily nodded, moving closer to him. "But I need you to do me a big favor, okay?" he asked. She nodded again. "I need you to go and give Elena a big hug for me so she knows I love her."

Lily sniffled a few times before she sat up. "Okay" she said. "You need to take a nap" she told him. She stepped back on to the chair and pulled his blanket up to his chin. Then she kissed his forehead like he had done to her so many times. "I'll come back later" she promised.

"Okay" he smiled. She hopped down off of the chair and he watched her struggle with the door for a moment. She turned back to smile at him before disappearing outside. As soon as the door clicked shut, he let himself finish crying.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily wandered back down to where her dad and mom were. They looked at her, trying to figure out what had happened in there with Stefan. But she wasn't giving anything away. She saw Elena standing by the large window, looking outside at the rainy, dark sky.

Elena hadn't even noticed her until Lily had attached herself to Elena in a tight hug. She looked down at her. "I'm still mad at you" Lily mumbled into Elena's leg. "But I still love you."

Elena pulled Lily's arms off of her and knelt down to her level, bringing her into a proper hug. "I'm still mad at myself, too" she whispered to the little girl. "I've missed you so much" she told her, Kissing her hair gently.

When they pulled apart, Lily lifted up Elena's shirt slightly, confusing her at first. Then Lily huffed, letting the shirt fall. "Still no baby in your tummy?" she asked, throwing her hands up in the air and walking off back towards her parents. Caroline had been sitting close enough to hear.

Elena's face went pale at the thought and this did not go unnoticed by Caroline. Elena decided to go for a walk to get away from everyone. Everything. Although Caroline hadn't really talked to her since she arrived yesterday, she got up and followed Elena. "Elena?" Caroline asked. Elena stopped abruptly and turned to face her, her face filled with tears once again. Elena ran a hand through her hair nervously. She had so many things on her mind, even before Stefan got sick, that she hadn't even thought about it. "Elena" Caroline said softly.

"I'm late" she said as a hint of realization began to hit her. "And I've been feeling queasy the past few weeks when I woke up" she said, a fresh batch of tears springing from her eyes. What if Lily was wrong? Elena covered her mouth as she put all the clues together.

"Elena" Caroline said, completely focused on the distraught young woman in front of her. "Do you think you're pregnant?" she asked, grabbing Elena's shoulders to steady her.

**A/N: So? Tell me what you think and feel! Don't hold back! Was this the right move for me to make? Do you love the story still?**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Wow, a ton of reviews last time! Thank you all so much for the feedback, both here and on Twitter. **

**I hope this update will be a little lighter. I know I have been focusing a lot on the heartbreak lately, which is my favorite. But we all need a good laugh, especially as of late with the happenings on the show.**

**So, as always, please let me know what you think!**

Elena barely felt Caroline shaking her arm as she stood there, eyes glued to the white wall in front of her. It wasn't possible that she was pregnant. Well, of course it was a possibility, but it still couldn't be. She had done everything she needed to do to prevent it. She wasn't ready to be a mother. Stefan didn't want to be a father. And right now, she was in the middle of her worst nightmare and the only glimpse into the future she had was the possibility of losing Stefan.

"Elena" Caroline said, a little louder. Elena finally turned her attention to her, still in a daze of shock and denial. "Do you think you are?" she asked again.

Elena shook her head. "No" she answered. "I mean, I don't know" she corrected, walking over to a set of chairs sitting against the wall and sitting down. Caroline followed her. She let Elena sit for a few moments with her thoughts, all the while rubbing her back in slow circles because Elena looked like she was going to faint. "We were careful" Elena finally said.

"You and …" Caroline said, approaching the topic of who the father was, very carefully.

"Stefan" Elena said quickly. "Of course, Stefan" she said, feeling a little frustrated that Caroline would think she had been with someone else. Though, she couldn't really blame Caroline. No one knew what Elena had been doing the past month in LA. She let out a long, painful sigh before continuing. "He doesn't want kids" she said, resting her hand on her forehead.

"He'll want yours" Caroline countered. She was well aware of Stefan's view on marriage and kids thanks to Katherine. But what he had built with Elena was special and Caroline knew he would be happy about this. Well, after the initial shock, of course.

"He's dying!" Elena snapped, jumping up out of her seat.

"Elena!" Caroline gasped. That was the last thing she had expected to come out of Elena's mouth. Since when had she lost hope? But Elena was crying and clearly scared and overwhelmed. "Don't talk like that" Caroline said, a bit more calmly.

"A baby is the last thing we need right now" she said sadly. Elena wiped at her tears but realized it was no use because they kept coming.

Caroline wrapped her arms around Elena in a comforting manner. "Why don't you schedule a doctor's appointment and find out for sure. Then we can go from there, okay?" she asked. She made sure to say "we" to let Elena know that she had a whole family behind her. One that would support her until the end. Well, minus Katherine and sometimes Damon. But for the most part, it was a great family to be a part of.

Elena pulled away from Caroline and shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now" she said.

"Elena, if you are pregnant, you need to start taking care of yourself" Caroline said, digging out a granola bar from her purse. "That means eating and sleeping."

Elena took the granola bar and smiled weakly, brushing away a few more tears. She wanted sleep more than anything right now. She hadn't slept in two days. "I know" Elena told her. "I'll set up an appointment tomorrow" she assured her.

"Okay" Caroline smiled. She watched as Elena stepped around her and headed back towards the waiting room. She sat back down on the chair and sighed deeply. This should have been an exciting time for her best friend and Elena. Babies were supposed to be happy news and Caroline should have been jumping up and down at the thought of planning a baby shower and buying little baby designer clothes. But with Stefan so sick, it made the situation heartbreaking. In all honestly, Caroline hoped that Elena wasn't pregnant. Not right now, anyways.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan was watching TV when Elena came back to see him. He looked a little more awake, but still tired and worn down. "101 Dalmatians" Stefan said, looking from her to the TV. "Lily wanted to watch it and then five minutes into it, she took off. Something about green Jell-O downstairs" he said, clicking the TV off. He looked at her when she didn't say anything. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern washing over him. Elena felt like screaming that everything was wrong. But she didn't. She burst into tears instead. "Hey, come here" he said, holding his hand out as she walked over to him and sat down by his bed. He kissed her hand and smiled. "What's wrong?" he asked again, choosing to ignore the fact that his impending survival might have been the answer.

But she chose a more selfish answer. "I'm just so tired" she admitted, hating herself for being so selfish. Here he was, sick in a hospital bed, and she was crying because she hadn't slept in two days. Actually, she was probably crying because she hadn't had any sleep and she was overly emotional.

Stefan smiled. Sleep was an easy fix. "Elena" he said, waiting for her tear-filled eyes to meet his. "Go home and crawl into bed" he told her. "Come back tomorrow morning. I'll still be here" he promised.

But Elena shook her head. "I'm not leaving here" she told him. Everyone else had taken turns going home to sleep. But she couldn't because she would never be able to forgive herself if something happened to him while she was away.

He looked straight into her tired eyes, trying to remember the day that he had first met her. Her eyes had been filled with so much fire and now, it was gone. It was no use arguing with her. "Come lay down with me then" he said, slowly moving himself over as far as he could go.

"There's not enough room" she told him.

"I'm making room" he said, tugging on her hand.

"I don't want to hurt you" she said, remaining where she was in her chair. It was too small of a bed and he was already hurting.

"You're not going to hurt me" he told her, tugging on her hand again. "Come on" he said, refusing to give up.

"I haven't showered in two days" she tried again. Then she realized how disgusting she probably was.

Stefan laughed. "You could be the smelliest person on this earth and I would still want you next to me" he told her. If that didn't get her up there with him, he wasn't sure what would.

She sat there for a moment and contemplated what she should do. A bed and Stefan's arms seemed so nice right now. "Okay, but if you need me to move at all, you have to tell me" she warned as she stood up.

Stefan agreed, even though he knew he would never say anything. Elena carefully crawled onto the bed with him, careful not to bump him. But it was Stefan who wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back as close to his chest as he could. "Much better" he whispered in her ear, keeping his arms securely around her waist. She froze for a moment, thinking about the possibility of a baby and Stefan having no idea that it wasn't just the two of them laying there. "I love you. Get some sleep" he told her.

"I love you too" she said quietly. As soon as she let her eyes close, the last thing she remembered was Stefan kissing her shoulder before she was out.

He still couldn't fall asleep, but he at least had some piece of mind with her there with him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena opened her eyes slowly and heard the beeping monitors. She looked down and saw Stefan's arms still around her. She wasn't sure if he was awake too until she felt him kiss her hair. Elena sighed sleepily. "How long have I been asleep?" she asked.

"Seven hours" he replied, kissing her hair again. "The nurses and doctor have been in here six times."

Elena carefully and very slowly rolled over to face him. "I can't imagine they were all too happy to find me in this bed with you" she said, taking in his tired eyes.

Stefan shrugged. "I think they were just happy to see you sleeping" he told her.

"Did you sleep?" she asked, reaching up and brushing his hair out of his eyes. He needed a haircut.

Stefan grabbed her hand. "A little bit" he told her, leaning in and kissing her gently. Elena closed her eyes, desperately wanting him to keep kissing her.

But the kiss was short-lived when the door opened and Lily came bounding in. She stopped immediately, holding tightly to the numerous things she had in her arms. Elena sat up and smiled at her. "What do you have there?" she asked.

Lily looked from Elena to her uncle, trying to decide on how best to answer that. Stefan had his finger up to his lips, telling Lily not to say anything. "Nothing" Lily answered.

"Nothing huh?" Elena asked, sliding off of the bed and walking towards her. Elena grabbed a bag of Skittles out of Lily's arms and held them up, turning to eye Stefan carefully. "I happen to know that Skittle's are your Uncle's favorite" Elena said. Elena also grabbed the brown paper bag from Lily and opened it. "Bacon Cheeseburger?" she questioned.

"I don't know why she has those" Stefan said, feigning innocence.

"You told me to bring them to you!" Lily accused. She glared at her uncle for trying to pin the blame on her.

"Snitch" he said, glaring right back at her. Lily retaliated by sticking her tongue out at him.

"You know you can't be eating this stuff in here" Elena reminded him. "You are on a restricted diet of what they give you."

"What they give me tastes like poop" he said, forcing himself to use a much tamer version of the word he really wanted to say.

Lily giggled. "That's gross Uncle Stefan" she smiled, making her way to the chair next to his bed and handing him a bag of gummy bears.

Elena shook her head disapprovingly and he figured he had better behave. "Thank you for getting these for me, Lily, but Elena's right. I should only eat what the nurse brings me" he explained.

"Okay" she sighed. "I can eat all this for you then" she volunteered. "Except the white gummy bears because it tastes like poop" she said, smiling proudly at her new phrase she had learned.

Stefan grinned as Elena rolled her eyes. The last thing anyone needed was Lily going around saying that things tasted like poop. "Why don't you go and share some of that with everyone else" he told her.

"Elena can have the peanut butter cups" she said, offering them up to Elena.

"Thank you" Elena said, taking them from her. "Go give this to Alaric" she added, handing the brown bag over to her. Lily hopped off of the chair and left the room as quickly as she came in. "How did she even get all of that stuff?" Elena asked.

"She likes to press the buttons on the vending machine" he answered. "I spent forty dollars one day just so she could press every button."

"You spoil her" Elena said, shaking her head but all the while smiling. There was nothing more precious than the two of them together.

"She's worth it" Stefan said.

Elena had to agree. She stared at him for a few moments, studying him. "You look a little better" she said, wondering if it was just wishful thinking or not.

"I feel a little better I guess" he shrugged. Still some pain and exhaustion, but nothing like the day before.

"I uh, I should go and make a few phone calls" she said, checking her phone and noticing she had a missed call or two. She almost felt guilty spending time away from him when he was up and awake.

"Take your time" he told her. "You really should run home and shower. You would feel so much better" he said.

Elena nodded. "I guess I could go real quick" she said.

"Real quick" he agreed. "I'm going to try and get a little more rest."

Elena moved to his bed and bent down to kiss him. He reached up and grabbed onto her elbow, holding her there until he was done with that kiss. Elena smiled. He definitely had to be feeling a little better. "See you soon."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sleep was out of the question as soon as Damon came in to visit an hour later. He looked surprisingly well rested. "Well don't you look well-rested" Stefan said, hiding his jealousy only slightly.

Damon shut the door and smiled. "Yeah, I got a little sleep. Lily went to bed pretty early last night" he said, taking a seat next to him.

"How's the babysitter going?" Stefan asked, continuing with the small talk.

"She quit" Damon replied. "Something about Lily being extremely demanding" he sighed. "Elena never seemed to have any trouble with her" he said, trying to figure out if his child was indeed evil or it was just the babysitter.

Stefan chuckled lightly. "Elena doesn't put up with anything" Stefan reminded. "Unlike us who bend to Lily's every will."

Damon smiled. "She is pretty spoiled, huh?" he said. "I guess I just want her to be happy" he said, running a hand through his hair.

"She is happy" Stefan said, quick to add his own thoughts. "I never thought I could love anyone that much" he added.

Damon looked at Stefan for a long moment, trying to swallow his guilt but figuring there was no point anymore. Not with Stefan being so sick. "It should have been you" Damon said, his voice taking a serious tone. "She should have been yours."

Stefan shook his head, hating where this conversation was going. "She wouldn't be the same little girl if she were mine. You know that Damon" he told him. "We don't need to talk about the past" he added, feeling uncomfortable with it.

"Yes, we do" Damon disagreed. "What I did was wrong. I should have told Katherine no" he said, feeling disgusted with himself as he talked. "I knew how much you loved her. How much you had planned for a future with her. I should have said no."

"But you didn't" Stefan stated. "And it hurt like hell and I hated you for a really long time. But it happened and hating you and hating Katherine won't fix anything" he added. "Things turned out okay for me. I'm still a part of Lily's life" he reminded. "And …" he began, but didn't finish his sentence.

"And you met Elena" Damon finished for him. "So, are you guys back together or what?" he asked.

Stefan sighed. "I want to think so, but I don't know" he admitted. "She's not wearing her wedding ring." That observation had hurt.

"Did you ask her about it?" Damon asked.

Stefan shook his head. "It's not really my business anymore" he answered. They had been apart for a month. And he had essentially blocked off all contact with her.

"You don't think she was with someone else do you?" Damon asked.

"It's crossed my mind" Stefan sighed.

They sat quietly for a moment. "I don't think she would do that to you" Damon said. "It's kind of nauseating, how much she loves you" he admitted. Stefan picked up on Damon referring to Katherine.

"She loves you, you know" Stefan said. "She just has a hard time of showing it sometimes" he added. "And for the record, I forgive you. You and Katherine."

Damon perked up a bit. "Why would you do that?" he asked. What he and Katherine had done was unforgivable as far as he was concerned.

"Because it is the right thing to do" he answered.

"You're a better man than me" Damon said. "Just get better, okay?" he asked.

"I'll get right on that" Stefan grumbled as Damon stood.

"You're still as much of a pain in the ass as you were the day Mom brought you home" Damon said.

"Yeah, well, you're not exactly my favorite either" Stefan countered, smiling as his older brother flipped him off and exited the room. Once again he was left alone, but a weight had been lifted. Although his conversations with Damon were never really deep, they got the point across.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Damon was somewhat surprised to see Katherine sitting by herself down in the cafeteria. She was stirring her coffee, staring intently at it. He took a chance, awkwardly joining his own wife at the small table. "I can go get you real coffee" he offered, taking in her unusual quiet self. Katherine kept stirring. "Where's Lily?" he asked.

"Zach took her home to take a nap" she answered.

Damon nodded. "Good idea probably" he said. Lily was a force to be reckoned with when she was tired.

"Are we just wasting our time?" she asked suddenly, looking up at him. "You and me. Were we over before we ever really started? Because Stefan told me to work things out with you, but I don't really see a point if one of us wants to call it quits" she stated.

Damon took a moment to process what she was saying. "Are you saying you want out?" he asked, a small lump forming in his throat. "Because if it's the money you're worried about, you know I'd still take care of you even after you left" he mentioned.

Katherine stopped stirring her coffee. "I'm not happy, Damon" she said, looking into his eyes and seeing that her statement had hurt, but also seeing that he knew she wasn't happy either. He wasn't happy either.

"Well, I guess it is time to call it quits then" Damon said.

"No, Damon" she said, slamming her hand down on the table. "I want you to make me happy" she said, her eyes locking with his once again.

"I tried" Damon told her. "I've bought you everything you could possibly want" he reminded her.

"I don't always want you to buy me things, Damon. I want you to pay attention to me!" she replied, feeling frustrated. "I want what we had before Lily was born. Passion. Excitement. Sex at three in the morning because we both wanted it" she rattled off. "You don't pay attention to me anymore. And I'm tired of having to get that attention from others."

Damon was a little surprised at the conversation they were having. But he read her loud and clear. If only she had said something earlier on. "I love you, Katherine. I always have. But if you want sex at three in the morning, you have to tell me these things. Because I have spent the past six years feeling like you hate me."

"I never hated you, Damon. I was bored with you" she replied. "And yes, I want sex at three in the morning" she added. Anything spontaneous would be better than living the same old boring life with him. Damon stood quickly and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. "What are you doing?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Damon looked around the area. "Being spontaneous" he told her, walking them down the hall quickly. He checked every door along the way until he found one that was open. A linen closet. He pushed Katherine inside and followed before locking the door. Katherine felt her back slam into door as he kissed her passionately. "Was this what you had in mind?" he asked, playing with the hem of her shirt.

Katherine smiled, clearly liking where this was going. "It's a start" she said, yanking off his shirt and tossing it behind him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Alaric slowly approached Caroline with two cups of coffee. She had spent a lot of her time at the hospital by herself and it was beginning to worry him. "Coffee?" he asked, holding a cup out to her. She smiled weakly and accepted the coffee. "Can I?" he asked, referring to the seat next to her.

"No one else is sitting there" she replied, taking a sip of her coffee. "Any more news on Stefan?" she asked.

"No. But the doctor did say he's not getting worse. He's just not getting a whole lot better either" he answered. Caroline nodded, a sad look lingering. "He's going to be fine. You know that" he told her.

But the only thing she could think about was the possibility of Elena being pregnant and Stefan never getting to see his baby. "I just feel so helpless. When we were kids, he was always the one taking care of me" she mentioned, playing with the lid on her coffee.

"He knows you're here for him" Alaric reminded her. "He's lucky to have a friend like you."

Caroline laughed. "What's with you acting all nice to me?" she asked.

"Can't I be a nice guy?" he questioned, finding it a little unfair that she thought he was such a terrible guy.

"You've never been nice to me" Caroline pointed out. Okay, so she had a point. But it wasn't because he didn't like her. It was quite the opposite. "You don't like me" she pointed out.

He decided that he could either argue with her about that or show her how wrong she was. "You're wrong about that" he said, taking her coffee from her and setting it down. Before she knew it, he was holding her face firmly and leaning in and kissing her.

She pulled herself away from him in complete shock. "What the hell are you doing?" she asked, breathing nervously.

"Proving to you that I don't hate you" he told her, leaning in and capturing her lips once again.

This time, Caroline didn't pull away from him. Instead, she held into his arms and put as much effort into that kiss as he did. It was amazing. Far more amazing than she thought it could be.

When they broke apart, they both saw Lily and Zach staring at them. "Uh, we were just …" Alaric said, stumbling over his words.

"No, please, don't let us interrupt you" Zach smiled, shaking his head as he and Lily walked away.

"Are they gonna get married now?" Lily asked, holding Zach's hand.

"Probably" Zach said, shaking his head in amusement. They turned down another hallway just in time to see Damon and Katherine coming out of the closet, giggling like teenagers. Zach rolled his eyes.

"Was you guys playing hide-and-go-seek?" Lily asked suspiciously.

Katherine, still breathless, clung to Damon's side and smiled. "Something like that" she said, kissing his neck, clearly letting him know that she was ready for them to go and hide somewhere else.

"Why are you guys all sweaty?" Lily asked curiously.

Damon looked at Katherine and almost lost it. "It was tag hide-and-go-seek" he answered.

"Oh" Lily said. "I don't like that game" she said, tugging on Zach who look appalled that they would do that sort of thing in a hospital linen closet. They continued to make out long after Lily and Zach had left.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Why had she picked up a home pregnancy test to take instead of just scheduling an appointment with a doctor? Because she wanted to know now. Without Caroline hovering. Elena stood at the far end of the bathroom while the pregnancy test sat on the counter. She was counting in her head until she needed to check it.

Her foot bounced as she leaned against the wall. She bit one of her nails down. She continued to remind herself that Stefan didn't want kids. He had said it and made it perfectly clear. She also reminded herself that he loved her and if she were in fact pregnant, he would have to love the baby too. If he could even survive long enough to know the baby.

Maybe there wasn't a baby though. Maybe she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes and tell him he was going to be a father.

"Okay" Elena told herself, eyeing the counter. It was time to look. Time to realize her fate. She took small steps towards the counter and picked up the test. She had to get it over with. She had to know so she could plan for her future. "Okay" she repeated, taking a deep breath before she looked down at the test in her hand.

Pregnant.


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: First, I am going to go and hide during and after you read this. But I hope you will understand the way I am trying to build the relationship between our amazing and beautiful couple – Stefan and Elena. I hope you will like what I did as well : )**

**Aside from that, I had a little bit of fun with Lily!**

**Please let me know what you think. I will try and get another update in sometime this week!**

Pregnant. Pregnant.

Elena let the test fall out of her fingers and faintly heard it hit the floor, bouncing twice before it became still. The entire house was silent and this allowed her to hear her terrified breaths escaping from her. Slowly, she bent down and picked up the test, placing it in the garbage can under the sink. Then, she sunk down to the floor and rested her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

It was too much, knowing this. She had spent the day convincing herself that she wasn't pregnant and now, a simple test proved that she was. Finding out wasn't the worst part either. Telling Stefan would be.

He needed to know and the sooner, the better. She hated knowing something like this when he didn't. Elena eventually pulled herself up from the floor and left the bathroom.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena let herself into Stefan's hospital room quietly just in case he was sleeping. But he wasn't. "Hey" he smiled, patting the spot next to him on his bed. He could definitely go for another cuddle session.

Elena walked over to him but she sat in the chair instead. She thought about grabbing his hand, but then decided against it. "I umm, I need to tell you something" she said, avoiding his eyes like a child who was about to be scolded.

"Okay, what?" he asked, not liking her withdrawing behavior one bit. It made him nervous. Maybe she had been seeing someone in LA.

Elena swallowed hard. "I … I …" she hesitated. Then she finally looked at him. There was no easy way to say it. "I'm pregnant."

Stefan stared at her for a moment before laughing slightly. "You're kidding, right?" he asked her. "That's a joke, you're kidding" he said. But his laughter ceased when he realized she wasn't laughing with him. "Please tell me you're not serious" he told her, his eyes turning colder by the second.

It hurt. It really did. But she knew there was a chance he wouldn't be happy about it. "No. I'm not kidding" she said quietly.

His expression turned hard as he stared at her in disbelief. "I don't understand how this happened" he told her. "I thought we were careful" he said, running a hand through his hair.

"We were" she replied. "Just not careful enough apparently" she added.

"Apparently" he said, anger building up in his voice. "You know I don't want kids" he said, almost accusing her of doing this on purpose.

Elena was a bit taken back by that. "I know you don't" she told him. "I didn't plan on having a kid right now either" she said, feeling her own emotions begin to bubble under the surface.

"Well this is perfect timing" he mumbled angrily. "I'm lying in a hospital bed about to die and my so called wife tells me she's pregnant" he bit out, letting his hands drop forcibly onto the bed beside him.

Elena held back the tears that were threatening to spill. She knew he wouldn't be thrilled, but she didn't think he would be so hurtful. "I don't know what else to say" she said, moving her eyes back down to her lap.

"There's not much else you can say" he said, still visibly angry. "But hey, when I die, maybe Damon can raise this kid too" he said harshly. After all, Elena and Damon did share a kiss.

"Don't say things like that" she warned.

"Can you just leave?" he asked, turning on his side carefully to avoid her.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, I can" she said, standing and shoving the chair back so it scraped across the floor. She was out the door before he even had a chance to say another word.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Buzzing. Obnoxious buzzing. Elena slowly opened her eyes, then sat up quickly when she realized her phone was ringing. She looked around, remembering that she had fallen asleep in Stefan's bed after taking the pregnancy test. She ran to the bathroom and looked in the trash. Yes. That part of her horrible dream was real. But as far as she could tell, she hadn't told Stefan yet.

Elena splashed water on her face and grabbed a towel to dry off. It was just a bad dream. Stefan would never treat her like that, would he? Sure, he'd be shocked. Maybe a little uneasy about it, but he would put on a brave face for her because she sure as hell was freaking out right now.

Elena remembered that her phone had been ringing and she rushed back to the bed to grab it. It was ringing again. Damon. Her heart stopped. Something had happened to Stefan. "What's wrong?" she asked panicked as she began running for the stairs.

"Stefan's doctor wants to meet with us all" Damon said. "Can you get here in the next twenty minutes?" he asked.

"Why?" she asked, beginning to panic even more. Was this it? Would she officially be saying goodbye to Stefan for good?

"I'm not too entirely sure. But I don't think it is bad news" he told her. "Just get here as soon as you can" he instructed before hanging up.

Elena grabbed her jacket and left quickly. Good news was something she needed right now.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The doctor had just arrived as Elena pushed herself to the front of the small group of people in Stefan's room. Stefan looked somewhat pleased. With what, she didn't know. "Hey" he said, smiling even more as he reached his hand out for her. Elena bent down and gave him a quick kiss before backing up slightly to hear what the doctor had to say.

"Did you make an appointment" Caroline asked, leaning over and whispering in Elena's ear.

Elena thought about the test she took at home and shook her head. "Not yet" she said. "I will today though" she added.

The doctor cleared his throat and opened up Stefan's chart. "The reason I asked you all here is because we have news. Good news, actually. The inflammation has decreased significantly. We think this is because he has started to respond to the medication. He's also young and healthy, which helps" the doctor mentioned. "Now he's not out of the woods yet, but things are going in a much better direction." A collective sigh of relief seemed to fill the room. "We are going to keep him on the same medication at the same dose and see what happens."

Elena felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. While everyone else was turning to each other and hugging or kissing, she wanted to pass out, or throw up, or both. She hadn't been expecting this news. She had spent so much time and energy on preparing for the worst that she forgot to prepare for the best. A future with Stefan. Before she knew it, she was being pulled into a hug by Alaric and then, Caroline. Then everyone moved on to hug Stefan, leaving Elena by herself. No one had noticed the doctor and nurse exit the room.

Elena watched Stefan's family and friends shower him with attention and it made her smile. But she also knew that she had something to take care of and she needed to do it sooner rather than later since things were starting to look a bit more positive for Stefan.

Elena travelled up a few floors on the elevator, watching the lights light up along the way. When she stepped out, she was immediately surrounded by pregnant women or babies. To her right was a woman in a wheelchair looking as if the baby was on its way. To her left, a mother sat next to a father, both smiling down at the baby in her arms.

When she reached the front desk, a young girl smiled up at her. "How may I help you?" she asked cheerfully.

Elena found it difficult to speak. "I um, I need to schedule an appointment" she said nervously.

"Okay, are you a patient with us?" she asked. Elena nodded and gave her name. She was born in this small hospital and her father worked there on and off when they needed him. "Okay, and what is this appointment for?" she asked.

Elena nervously squeezed her hands together as the young girl, probably younger than her, looked up at her expectantly. "I um, I think I might be pregnant" Elena said quietly as if it were some dirty little secret she didn't want anyone else to know.

The girl nodded. "I can schedule you for tomorrow morning" she said, looking back up at Elena.

Elena bit down on her bottom lip nervously. "Is there any way I can be seen today?" she asked. It really wasn't something she wanted to wait for.

The girl typed a bit more before addressing Elena again. "I can squeeze you in in 20 minutes" she said, smiling warmly at Elena. "If you want to have a seat right over there, the nurse will call you over."

Elena thanked the young girl and went to have a seat next to a woman with a smaller baby bump. She was quietly reading a magazine. Elena tapped her foot nervously as she looked around the waiting room at all the pictures of babies. Nothing about this room eased her worries. She wondered if maybe she should have brought Caroline along to distract her.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Can you guys give us a minute?" Zach asked over the chatty group. Everyone looked at Zach and nodded before filing out. Zach took the seat in the chair next to Stefan's bed. "You sure know how to give us quite the scare" Zach said, smiling at his youngest nephew.

"I like the suspense" Stefan said jokingly.

Zach laughed. Ever since he had taken over as guardian for Stefan and Damon, he done everything he could to ensure that they were safe and happy. It was exhausting, being given responsibility of two young boys in the blink of an eye. "I'm relieved that you are doing better. We all are" he mentioned.

"Me too" he told him. "I hated seeing everyone so worried and upset" he added. It crushed him knowing that he brought about so much pain and could do nothing to stop it.

Zach smiled sadly. "Ever since you were small, you always looked out for others before yourself" he said, shaking his head. "And all I've wanted was for you to find someone who would look out for you."

Stefan smiled. "I did."

Zach smiled as well. "I know you did" he replied. "Elena has a good heart. I only wish that you two had met sooner so you wouldn't have had to be so unhappy for so long" he said, clearly referring to the mess with Katherine. Stefan looked down guiltily. "I know about you paying Elena to marry you" Zach stated.

Stefan sighed. "Yeah, I figured you knew" he said, looking back up at him. They sat quiet for a moment. "I didn't want to fall in love with her, you know" he stated. "She sort of made me though" he smiled, loving the feeling he got whenever he talked about her.

"I really like Elena" Zach said. "It's nice to see a girl who cares more about you than your money" he added with a smile. That had always worried him when it came to Damon and Stefan because both were so generous with their money. Katherine did nothing to put his mind at ease, either.

"She makes me feel happier than I have in a really long time" Stefan said.

"So does that mean she's sticking around?" Zach asked cautiously.

Stefan smiled. "I hope so" he said. He wanted to do everything he could to make sure he could keep her in his life. Even if that meant letting her go for a little while so she could do what she needed to do in LA.

"And kids?" Zach questioned.

"Yeahhhh, I don't know about kids" Stefan replied hesitantly. "I think Lily's enough, don't you?" he asked.

Zach shrugged. "Don't you want one of your own?" he asked.

Stefan sighed. "I don't know" he said truthfully. "I think Elena and I need to spend a lot more time together – just the two of us – before we think about having kids" he added honestly.

Zach smiled. "That makes sense. I'm just glad you're not completely against the idea" he said as he stood. "Speaking of kids, I should go and check on Caroline and Alaric. They've been getting awfully friendly lately" he added.

Stefan raised an eyebrow. "Those two? No way" he said in disbelief.

"Yes way. Lily and I caught them kissing" he explained.

Stefan sighed. "Well, I guess if they are happy, then I'm happy" he smiled. Zach just laughed at the thought of Caroline and Alaric together. "Hey, have you seen Elena by the way?" Stefan asked.

Zach shook his head. "No. I'll tell her you're looking for her if I see her though" he said.

"Thanks" Stefan nodded.

"Get some rest" Zach said before leaving.

Stefan took in a deep breath and then let it out. Babies were the last thing on his mind right now. Getting better and figuring out how to save his marriage with Elena were his top priority.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Elena?" the doctor asked as she came into the small room where Elena sat waiting on the bed. "I have your results" she said, flipping open her chart. Elena sat up even straighter. "You're not pregnant" she stated.

Elena felt like her heart had dropped into her stomach. "I … I took that home pregnancy test" she stated. "And I was feeling sick and missed …" she started to say, but stopped. "So I thought …" she trailed off. It didn't matter. She wasn't pregnant. She should have felt relieved, but a part of her felt crushed.

"False positives are not uncommon" the doctor said, taking a seat and facing Elena. "Have you been under any stress lately?" she asked. Elena nodded. The move to LA and not talking to Stefan had been incredibly stressful for her. "That could very well explain the nausea and your missed cycle" she added. "Are you trying to get pregnant?" she asked.

Elena snapped out of her crushed feeling and looked at the doctor, almost missing the question. "No" she said. "It's kind of a relief, actually. To not be pregnant" Elena said, doing her best to sound convincing.

"You don't sound too convincing" the doctor said softly, grabbing her hand for support. "You're young and healthy Elena. You should have no problem conceiving when you are ready" she added.

Elena nodded, feeling a lump well up in her throat. "I'm just not so sure the other half of this equation feels the same way I do" Elena said, a little disheartened.

"Well, that sounds like something you two need to discuss" she said, patting Elena's hand as she stood. "Here's my business card. If you need to speak with me, feel free to call" she said.

Elena nodded her thanks as the doctor left the room. She sat there, puzzled by the swarm of emotions she was feeling. This was a good thing. A baby was not what she or Stefan needed right now. But then why did she feel so empty all of a sudden? And why did she feel like all she wanted to do was cry?

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Alaric was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs that he had moved into an aisle way next to the coffee table. He was checking his emails. He watched as Lily approached and inwardly groaned. That kid was always hovering like a little roach who you just wanted to squash because you knew she was up to no good. He was horrible , and he fully admitted it.

"Excuse me" Lily said, approaching Alaric. Alaric stood up to let Lily squeeze by and continue on her way. Instead, she crawled up on his chair and made herself comfortable.

"That was my seat" Alaric stated, staring down at her.

Lily opened the book she had been carrying. "Not anymore" she stated, beginning to read.

"You're a spoiled brat" Alaric said, fully realizing that he was being mean to a six year old, but not even caring. She could hold her own. She always had with him.

"And you're ugly. What's your point?" she asked, looking up from her book to stare at him. She had her mother's eyes and quite frankly, it scared him a bit.

"Why are you always so mean to me?" he asked with a sigh.

"Because you annoy me" Lily stated, going back to her book.

"Are you being nice?" they heard from behind them. They both turned to see Damon standing there watching them.

"Of course Daddy" Lily said innocently. "I'm just reading my book so I will be just as smart as you" she smiled brightly.

Alaric rolled his eyes. "Good God" he mumbled.

"I know Sweetie. I was talking to Alaric though" he said, turning to his little brother's friend. "You do realize she is six, don't you?" Damon asked, giving Alaric a hard time. Lily acted more like a teenager than an innocent child most of the time.

"Six and a nineteen twentieths Daddy" Lily reminded, flipping to the next page of her book. Stefan had helped her with a new fraction that better reflected her age.

"Yeah, six going on fifteen" Alaric muttered. Damon shook his head and laughed.

"I'm glad that Uncle Stefan hangs out with Elena. She's much more fun than you" Lily pointed out, staring back up at Alaric.

"See if I buy you a birthday present this year" Alaric scoffed.

Lily looked shocked. "You have to buy me a present. It's the rules" she stated matter of factly.

"Oh really?" Alaric challenged.

"I'll tell Uncle Stefan and you will be in trouble" she challenged back.

"Oooh, I'm scared" he said, rolling his eyes.

Lily looked over and saw Caroline walking their way. "Oooh look, it's your girlfriend" Lily teased.

Alaric straightened as Caroline approached. Then he glared at Lily. "She's not my girlfriend!" he warned quietly. Lily grinned. He was in total denial.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" she asked.

"Alaric is being mean to me" Lily said, giving Caroline the saddest eyes that she could.

"He is?" Caroline said, glaring at Alaric who looked completely flustered.

"Uh huh" she said, hopping off of the chair. "Where's Elena?" she asked.

Caroline looked around. "I'm not sure actually" she said, beginning to get worried. She wondered if Elena had scheduled an appointment yet.

"Caroline" Damon said, walking around Alaric and making his presence more fully known. "Do you think you can watch her for an hour or so?" he asked. "Katherine and I are going to … play another game of hide-and-seek" he said, winking.

"Eew, gross!" Caroline said, covering her ears. "Don't tell me that!" she screeched, unfortunately knowing exactly what he was talking about.

"If she gets to be too much trouble, call Zach" Damon said, walking past her and leaving in a hurry.

"I never said yes!" she called after him. But he was already gone. "At least someone is getting some" she mumbled.

"You have to watch me because I'm adorable" Lily informed Caroline. Everyone wanted to spend time with her. It was a known fact.

"Yes, you are incredibly adorable" Caroline agreed. "What do you say we go across the street and get the biggest ice cream sunday you have ever seen?" she asked.

"I say yes!" Lily said excitedly.

Caroline smiled as Lily took her hand. "Do you want to go with us?" Caroline asked Alaric.

Alaric smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to" he said.

"Ahh man" Lily groaned. But Alaric chose to ignore it as he walked alongside Caroline. He even chanced it and grabbed Caroline's hand to hold as they walked. She didn't pull away.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Where have you been?" Stefan asked with a smile. He hadn't seen Elena since the doctor told them all the good news.

"Just had some stuff to take care of" she said softly. She walked over and sat next to him, taking his hand in hers. She stared into his eyes, noting how much more life there was in them. He was looking so adoringly at her that it made her feel like the luckiest girl alive.

But the crushing feeling was still with her since finding out about not being pregnant. One look into his eyes made her realize that she needed to talk to him about it. "I … I need to talk to you about something" she told him softly.

He rubbed her hand gently, catching her attention. "Anything" he said just as softly, giving her a reassuring smile.

She took a small breath before she continued. "I took a pregnancy test this morning" she said, chancing a glance at his expression. His hand had stilled around hers and his smile slowly faded. "It read positive, but when I had a test done with the doctor this afternoon, it was negative" she told him.

He was quiet for a moment, digesting all that she was saying. "So, so you're not pregnant?" he asked.

Elena shook her head. "No, I'm not" she told him. "Thank God, right?" she asked. Elena went to pull her hand away, feeling the need to pull away from him, not only physically, but emotionally as well. Because she was hurting.

But Stefan tightened his grip around her hand, refusing to let her pull away. One look into her eyes was all he needed to see in order to know that she had gotten her hopes up. That she had wanted to be pregnant, but that she was scared of his reaction and what it would mean for them. She wanted a baby. And if he wanted her, he was going to have to compromise. "I love you" he said, making sure she was looking at him when he said it.

"I know you do, Stefan" she told him. She really did know that. "And I know you don't want kids" she said sadly.

"You wanted there to be a baby, didn't you?" he asked, searching in her eyes for the answer he already knew. He watched as a small tear rolled down her cheek.

Slowly though, she nodded. "I did" she told him honestly. Underneath all of the fear and uncertainty, she did want to be pregnant.

Stefan reached up and brushed the tear off of her cheek. "If you were pregnant, I'd be scared as hell" he admitted to her. Loving and caring for Lily was something completely different than having one of his own. "But I would love our baby as much as I love you" he told her, bringing her hand up to him to kiss not once, but three times.

Elena's tears fell harder as she listened to him. She nodded, telling him that she believed him. "I want kids, Stefan" she told him quietly.

Stefan nodded this time. "I know you do" he acknowledged. "And I want to give you everything you want – everything you need" he said, smiling at her. He meant it, too. "So, I'd like to ask that we wait a few years so we can spend a little more time together – just the two of us – before we have a baby" he told her, speaking honestly.

Elena's tears halted momentarily as she took in what he was saying. He wanted a future with her. And she wanted one with him. "Okay" she whispered, happiness filling her at the thought of having a family with him one day. In the meantime, she would get to spend time with him – time they hadn't really had with everything going on since they were married. She leaned forward so she could kiss him gently. She then rested her head against his chest, giving herself a break from the emotional toll the day had had on her.

"Okay" he whispered, kissing her hair and enjoying her closeness. He stared up at the ceiling for a while, rubbing her back as she rested against him. While he had to admit that he was relieved she was not pregnant, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of being a dad someday. He never doubted his ability to be a good one. And now, he didn't have to doubt the woman who would be the mother of his child. Or children. He smiled again, realizing that maybe he was open to having more than one.

**A/N: Are you mad, sad, or disappointed? Or do you like the setup for the future? **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: Many of you might already know that there will only be a few more chapters left for this story. But do not fear. I will begin posting a new story just as I finish this one. I am pretty excited about it but sad to see this one come to an end.**

**Thank you for all of your input on the last chapter. It appears that my decision to not make Elena pregnant was the right move for this story at this time. I really appreciate what you had to say : )**

Stefan had spent the next two weeks in the hospital recovering when the doctor finally agreed to let him go home and finish recovering. Stefan was ecstatic while Elena was dreading it. He had good, professional care at the hospital. Elena on the other hand had no idea what she was doing. What if she missed something and he died right there in front of her? What if he got worse and had to go back to the hospital because she was such a terrible caretaker?

Lily had been more confident than Elena when hearing the news that Stefan could go home. Lily got to sit on the doctor's desk and he let her play with his stethoscope and taught her how to use it even. He went over all of the signs that she should look for and what to do if she thought something was wrong. Then the doctor had given her a sticker and Lily jumped down from the desk acting as if she had just graduated from medical school - top of her class.

Elena almost wished that Lily was over at the house with them. Being alone with Stefan when he was still pretty weak was horrifying. Stefan continuously tried to ease her worries and told her they should come up with a code word just in case he felt like he was dying so that she would know when to call 911. This had only made Elena want to cry and he felt so bad about it that Lily had suggested he buy Elena ice cream to make up for it. Stefan ended up buying Lily ice cream too which he was not quite sure how that happened, but it did. Elena hadn't wanted her ice cream so Lily got two.

That wasn't the only thing Elena was stressing about. The company she worked for was being extremely flexible and understanding with her, allowing her to get her work done from where she was. But she could tell that they were starting to wonder if she could keep up with everything going on. She had been hired to do work in LA. That was what was in her contract. It was only a matter of time before they brought this up.

Elena hadn't discussed any of this with Stefan, deciding to keep the conversation light when she did spend time with him. She knew that she loved Stefan and that she wanted to be with him, but the thought of giving up her new job was troubling her. She figured there wasn't much of a chance that the company would allow her to remain in Mystic Falls and continue to do her work over the internet and the phone.

So, it was either give up Stefan or give up her new job. Neither of which she wanted to do, but Stefan meant more to her. She sighed as she carried the glass of water back upstairs so Stefan could take his medication.

Stefan was lying on his bed propped up against a few fluffy pillows. He had changed into a clean pair of sweats and a new t-shirt. Although she was stressed and worried about him being home with only her, she had to admit, he looked a lot happier. He was so miserable at the hospital, being poked and prodded all day long. Not to mention, he told her the hospital food would kill him faster than his liver. Elena wondered if her cooking might kill him faster though. Takeout would be their new best friend until he could cook again. He smiled even more when he saw her. "It's time to take this" she said, handing him the glass of water as she opened up a bottle and dumped a tiny pill out.

Stefan took the pill without any complaints, mainly because he had sworn up and down that he would do anything and everything Elena said as long as he could come home. So, he took the pill quietly, all the while enjoying the fact that he was home with Elena. "Thank you" he said.

"Do you need anything else?" she asked, placing the back of her hand on his forehead to check for a fever. She had done that about ten times since they had been home. But Stefan didn't say anything.

Stefan grabbed her hand and tugged her forward on top of him. "Yes" he said, his hands wandering down and holding on to her hips. He leaned up slightly and kissed her with much need.

While Elena quite enjoyed the attention he was seeking, she knew better. And so did he. He was eagerly trying to remind her of what he wanted when she pulled away from him. "You are supposed to be resting. Doctor's orders" she warned.

"Then we can take it easy" he said, smiling even more as he reached for her again.

Elena shook her head and grabbed his hands to stop him. "Not until the doctor says you are well enough" she said.

Stefan pulled his hands out of hers and crossed his arms. He looked past her and was clearly silently pouting. "You'll survive" she smiled lightly, leaning in to kiss his forehead quickly before she got up. "I'm going to try and get a little work done. You should try and sleep" she added, crawling off of him and the bed.

On her way out, she turned to look at him and saw that he was still pouting. She shut the light off and shut the door, all the while shaking her head at how ridiculous he was being. Though she knew quite well that Stefan was used to getting his way.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Elennnnnnnnnnnnnaaaaaaaaa!" Stefan yelled a few hours later. He was perfectly capable of getting up out of bed and getting her, but he was told to stay in bed and rest, so that was what he was doing.

Elena came into the room a few minutes later. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sleepiness present in her voice.

"It's almost eleven o'clock" he stated. "Are you coming to bed?" he asked.

"I'm aware of the time, Stefan" she said with a long sigh. "I have some more work to finish up" she added, walking over to the bed. "You should be sleeping right now" she told him, pulling the covers up and tucking them under his chin.

Stefan sighed. "I can't sleep" he told her. "This bed is too empty."

Elena took a turn to sigh. She really wanted to get her work done. "Just give me a few minutes to shut everything down" she told him. Stefan smiled. He always got his way eventually. She turned and began to leave. "Wipe that smile off of your face or I'll be sleeping across the hall" she called over her shoulder. But Stefan continued to smile.

When Elena did return, she slipped into her favorite pair of pajama bottoms and a tank top. Stefan watched her closely, trying to decide on how best to seduce her and to prove that he was just perfectly fine to do certain bedroom activities. Elena opened the covers and crawled in to bed. Stefan immediately put his arms around her and pulled her close. He began slowly kissing the back of her neck and occasionally moving to the back of her shoulder. Elena really wasn't surprised. She knew he would try as hard as he could to get her to forget all about what the doctor had said. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, resting his chin on her shoulder finally when he realized she just wasn't into his advances.

Elena sighed. "I have to go back to Los Angeles for a few days" she stated. She felt Stefan's arms tighten around her so she turned to face him. "I think I have to quit" she said, looking at him for some sort of reaction. "It isn't working" she sighed again.

Stefan just stared at her for a moment. He wanted nothing more than for her to stay put in Mystic Falls with him. But at the same time, he wanted her to be happy and her job seemed to make her happy. "I don't want you to quit because of me" he told her quietly. "You love your job. And if I have to fly out there during the week and fly us back here for the weekend, I'll do it" he promised.

Elena smiled at his attempt to sacrifice so much for her. But she shook her head. "I appreciate that, Stefan. But that's no way to live" she said. Elena grabbed his face in her hands and looked at him closely. "That's not the way I want us to live" she said, leaning in and kissing him softly.

"You love your job" he stated, resting his forehead against hers.

"I love you more" Elena corrected. "You should try and get some sleep" she added before he could say anything. Elena rolled back over and faced away from him, though she didn't pull away from him. She closed her eyes and tried to will all of the stress out of her mind.

Stefan couldn't fall asleep though, not when he felt like he was holding her back from doing what she really wanted to do. She had a degree now and she needed to put it to good use. Elena was so different from Katherine. She didn't want to his little housewife who spent every day spending his money. Although Elena did not have to work for the finances, she needed to work to keep from going crazy.

He made a mental note to call his uncle the next day and see if there was any way the company could work Elena in. He had to do something because he refused to be that husband that made his wife so unhappy that she would end up hating him.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Elena felt something warm on her forehead. She stirred slightly before opening her eyes slowly and seeing that it was Stefan, kissing her good morning. He was smiling down at her from where he was leaning over her. "Good morning" he said, placing his next kiss on her lips ever so slowly.

"Morning" Elena smiled, feeling extremely happy for the first time in a while. All thoughts about her job went out the door for the moment by seeing his smiling face smiling down at her. "What are you doing up out of bed?" she asked, sitting up slightly.

"I made you breakfast" he told her. He saw her eyes narrow and knew that a lecture was coming. "And then I thought …" he said, leaning back down and kissing her neck slowly. Anything to distract her, he thought. "We could spend the morning in the hot tub" he whispered just under her ear. It was a beautiful spring day and he figured spending the day outside, with Elena, would be the perfect start to his recovery at home.

Elena shook her head. "First" she said, pushing on his chest so that he could no longer kiss her. His kisses could make her cave far too quickly. "You should not have made me breakfast because you are supposed to be in bed" she reminded him. "Second, you do not need to be outside in a hot tub when you should be inside resting like the doctor said" she told him. "How do you expect to get better when you are up running around?" she asked him.

Stefan sighed. "Spending time with you. Being able to be close to you. Touching and holding you is what is making me feel better" he told her, looking so deep into her eyes that she half thought about forgetting all about the doctor's orders and pulling Stefan on top of her. "I miss you, Elena. I just want to be with you" he said with the most sincere eyes she had ever seen.

He held her eyes with such intensity that it was making her melt. Right into the puddle that he wanted her to be. "Damn you" she breathed out.

Stefan smiled triumphantly as he reached over and grabbed the tray of food he had prepared for her. "I'm so glad you came around to the idea" he said, continuing to smile.

Elena took a small bite of her pancake sitting before her. She wished she could cook as well as him. "I don't have a swim suit though" she said.

"I never said you needed one" Stefan grinned. She smacked his leg. "That only turns me on more when you smack me" he told her.

Elena playfully glared at him as she took a drink of her orange juice. "Maybe Lily wants to come over and hang out with us" she suggested playfully.

Stefan's excitement seemed to diminish instantly. He loved his niece more than anything, but with her around, there definitely would be no sexy time between him and Elena. "She's got a play date today" Stefan lied.

"Oh" Elena said. "How about I call and make sure it wasn't canceled or something" Elena said, reaching over for her phone on the nightstand.

Stefan's hand quickly caught hers and she gave him an amused look. He leaned over her again, careful to avoid the pancakes, and kissed her with so much passion that she thought he quite literally might have taken her breath away. Elena had dropped her fork by this point and was clutching tightly to his shirt just to make sure he wouldn't move. Stefan had his hands behind her back, lifting her up slightly so that he could get her as close as possible. When he ended the kiss, he rested his forehead against hers and smiled at how breathless she was. "I want you all to myself today" he whispered, just as breathless.

All Elena could do was nod because no words would have come out even if she had tried to talk. The things that man could do to her. Screw the kid. Elena wanted Stefan all to herself today too.

**A/N: Yes, there will be a hot tub scene. If we can't have it on the show, we will have it in this story ;) **


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews and tweets! And thank you for your patience! I am back to school, but I am trying to get a few updates posted during the week still.**

**As you all know, there will only be three more updates left for this story : ( But, a new story will be written that I hope you all will check out! Thank you again! You all are awesome! **

Elena ended up finding a swimsuit after all. Stefan wasn't exactly happy about it, but she was already in the hot tub when he walked outside with a mimosa and a plate of fruit. Elena had been in the water for almost five minutes and she could already feel the stress seeping out of her shoulders and her back. Stefan was a genius for suggesting the hot tub.

"Here" he said, handing her the mimosa before joining her. Elena took a drink before setting it down and leaning her head back, closing her eyes and enjoying the warm water around her.

"Best idea ever" Elena said with a smile.

Stefan grinned. He knew it was a brilliant idea. He waded through the water towards her, taking a seat next to her. She opened one eye and looked at him. He was being so patient for being so eager. But Elena knew he was ready to rip that swimsuit off of her. "You look a lot more relaxed" he said, pushing a loose piece of hair out of her face.

Elena sat up and turned to look at him. "I am" she said, slowly moving to straddle his lap. Before Stefan could even celebrate, she had grabbed his face and kissed him passionately. She figured it was going to be payback for that passionate kiss he had given her earlier.

Stefan didn't care what he motive was though by this point. He slid his hands up her back, fingering the strings holding her bikini top together. She smiled when she heard his eager moans fill her ears.

Stefan attempted to undo the strings and when he couldn't, he got frustrated and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her even closer. He needed her so much that it hurt. "Elena" he whispered against her lips, moving his hands to her hips finally and grabbing on to her swimsuit bottoms, ready to tug them down.

They both heard a breathless gasp and turned to see who had interrupted them. "Elena, what are you doing to Uncle Stefan?" Lily asked, dropping her jaw once again.

Elena quickly moved off of Stefan and willed her face to stop turning bright red. "Uh, we were just … what are you doing here?" Stefan asked, trying to cover.

"Mommy said we could come over and make sure you were feeling better" Lily said, eyeing them suspiciously. "What was Elena doing to you?" she asked cautiously.

Stefan felt himself blush slightly when he felt Elena duck her face against his shoulder to hide her own embarrassment. "Elena was … checking my temperature. To make sure the water wasn't making me too hot" he explained. "She had to be as close to me as possible to make sure" he added.

"Lily?" Katherine asked, opening the sliding glass door and walking out. She stopped when she saw Stefan and Elena in the water.

"Elena was checking Uncle Stefan's temperature" Lily informed her mother.

"What?" Katherine asked, completely confused.

"Elena was on top of Stefan, checking his temperature" Lily clarified.

Katherine laughed. "She was not. They were making a baby" Katherine informed, continuing to laugh.

Stefan and Elena's faces paled. "Katherine!" Stefan scolded, though Katherine wore an amused smile.

Lily's eyes grew wide with excitement. "A baby?" she asked excitedly. "There's gonna be a baby in her tummy?" she asked, jumping up and down twice before running to her mother and hugging her legs.

"No no no" Stefan said. "We were not making a baby" he said, cringing at Katherine's terminology.

Lily's face fell instantly. Her bottom lip began to tremble, much like it did when she was always upset. "There's not gonna be a baby?" she asked.

"No, Lily" Elena said, finally looking up from Stefan's shoulder. "Not right now."

"But when?" Lily asked.

Katherine rolled her eyes when she saw Stefan still glaring at her. "You're the ones she walked in on. I'm just being honest with her" she told them.

"Not for a while" Stefan told Lily, trying now to ignore Katherine. "Wasn't your mom going to take you shopping today?" he asked Lily.

"Oh yeah" Lily said, remembering as if the five minutes she had been distracted was a long time. "I have to get a new dress for my birthday party. You're coming, right Uncle Stefan?" she asked, a bit of worry on her face that maybe be wasn't.

"Of course I am" Stefan assured her. "So you better hurry and go and pick out the best dress ever" he said, smiling at her.

"Are you going to my birthday too?" she asked Elena.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything" Elena told her, feeling Stefan's hand grab her own hand under the water and hold it.

"Alaric is coming to your party too" Stefan said, wanting to see Lily's reaction which was fantastic.

"Oh gross!" she said, covering her face with her hands. "No Mommy, please don't let him come to my party" Lily begged. "I'll do anything. I'll even eat those yucky peas Daddy cooks!" she said desperately.

"What do I always tell you, Lily?" Katherine asked.

Lily sighed. "That I have to be nice to Alaric because he is Uncle Stefan's friend" she grumbled. "Even if he is stupid" she added for good measure.

"That's right" Katherine told her. "Now come on, we have to get going" she said, waving her along. She saw the relieved look on Stefan's face. "So these two can get back to … checking each other's temperatures" she smirked.

Elena hid her face against Stefan once again and he glared at Katherine yet again. "But he's not even bringing me a birthday present" Lily whined as she followed after her mother. The last thing Stefan and Elena heard was the door shutting behind them.

"Thank God" Stefan said, letting out an exasperated breath. Another reason why he didn't want kids of his own yet. They seemed to walk in on the most unfortunate times. "Is the mood ruined?" he asked, figuring it was.

Elena smiled against his shoulder. "No" she said, crawling back over his lap. "Definitely not" she told him, giving him a slow and agonizing kiss to remind him that they had to start all over.

Stefan was fine with that. "Hey Elena?" he asked, working his hands back up her back. He grabbed onto one of the strings and slowly pulled. Elena murmured something that he couldn't quite understand. He continued to kiss Elena, pulling her even closer with the arm he had securely wrapped around her. He kissed along her jaw, making his way to her ear. "I love you" he whispered.

Elena paused for a minute, halting her own feelings of pleasure as she really processed what he had just told her. It wasn't forced. He wasn't saying it for show. He said those words at the perfect time, because he meant them. "I love you too" she whispered, earning her a gentle kiss against her neck.

His heart skipped. He swore it did. Maybe he deserved every amazing thing he was feeling right now. Maybe he didn't. But what he could be sure of was that he was extremely lucky.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The time they spent in the hot tub lasted well into the afternoon before they decided to get out. Elena had suggested they move to the couch which had made him grin until she told him it would be to watch a movie.

Elena came down the stairs with a blanket and found Stefan already on the couch. Stefan pressed play as Elena sat down with him and spread the blanket across them. Stefan pulled Elena closer, causing her to smile. "Are you still doing okay?" she asked, tilting her head to look up at him.

Stefan smiled this time. "I'm doing fine" he told her, kissing her head.

The movie started, but both of them realized they weren't really paying attention. "What did you get Lily for her birthday?" she asked him.

"We" Stefan corrected. "Got her a painted wood stable with all the accessories for all those horses she has in her room" he explained.

"She'll love that" Elena said, still thinking that she should get Lily something too though.

"I'm pretty excited about what Alaric bought her though" he smiled.

Elena sat up some. "What did he buy her?" Elena asked. Lily had been pretty sure that Alaric wasn't bringing her a present.

"You'll see" he shrugged. Elena opened her mouth to question him, but then stopped. "We should actually try and watch this movie" he informed her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close.

Elena felt his hands run lazily up and down her arms as he watched the movie. When his left hand moved down to her left hand and traced her fingers, she pulled it away. "It is in my drawer in my apartment in LA" Elena said, a hint of guilt in her voice as she thought about how he was still wearing his ring and she wasn't wearing hers.

Stefan didn't say anything for a minute. Instead, he turned her face in towards him and kissed her softly. "It's okay" he told her quietly, reaching in for another gentle kiss. But there was still that one thing on his mind that he wanted to find out about. He wanted to ask in the least accusatory way possible because right now, he could have cared less if she had married ten guys while she was away. The fact of the matter was, she was here, right now, with him. "Was … was there someone else in LA?" he asked carefully, locking eyes with her to judge her reaction to his question.

Elena shook her head no slowly. "You're the only one I was thinking about" she reassured him, earning her an incredibly happy smile and one passionate kiss.

"Good" he said with his happy, silly grin that he was pretty sure he only wore for her. He kissed her again, and then again, because no matter how many times he had kissed her, he couldn't stop. And this is how he knew everything he was feeling, was real.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Lily's seventh birthday party was insane. Elena swore she must have counted over 50 kids running around with cotton candy or ice cream or both by the time she had stepped out of Stefan's car. "This is a little …" Elena said, looking around at all of the balloons and flowers.

Stefan smiled as he grabbed her hand. "It's perfect" he said, holding the hand that now sported her wedding ring. Stefan had to admit, the three days she had been gone in LA the week before had been torture. But knowing that Elena was back in Mystic Falls to stay was well worth it. Elena had not wanted to talk about quitting her job or leaving her brother and Bonnie, but he figured when she wanted to talk, she would. He reminded her every now and then that she could talk to him about anything whenever she needed too.

Elena rolled her eyes as she walked side by side with Stefan. The stable Stefan had bought for Lily was already in the house, having been delivered the day before. They let her open it early. As they rounded the corner to the backyard, Elena stopped. "Is that a freakin' zebra?" she asked, looking up at Stefan in disbelief. There was a line of kids waiting to pet it.

Stefan laughed. "I can't wait until I get to throw you a birthday party" he said, tugging her along. It wasn't long until they found Lily, wearing her tiara and her new pink dress. "Hey Birthday Girl" Stefan said, catching Lily in his arms as she ran by with a string of kids in tow.

"Uncle Stefan!" she said excitedly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Are you having fun?" he asked. Lily smiled brightly and nodded. "Good. Where's your dad at?"

"I think he's in the kitchen" Lily said. Stefan nodded and set her down. "Come on!" she called out to her friends as they took off running again.

Stefan grabbed Elena's hand again and they made their way inside the house. The house was equally busy with many of the parents inside chatting. "Hey" Stefan said over the noisy chatter when they found Damon. "Where's Katherine?" Stefan asked.

"Charming the guests I'm sure" Damon said, putting one last cupcake on the platter. "Do you guys want to help me wrangle everyone out back to sing happy birthday?" he asked.

It took almost twenty minutes, but finally every child was seated on the grass in front of the table holding Lily's cake and cupcakes. The parents were standing behind the kids as Damon and Katherine lit the candles. Stefan and Elena were standing off to the side, in each other's arms, smiling as they watched Lily soak up all of the attention and finally, blow out all of her candles.

Before anyone knew it, it was time to open presents. Lily blew through all of the presents her friends had given her. Then it was on to the presents from her family. Damon and Katherine had bought her a new TV for her room, because every seven year old needed a 70 inch TV. Caroline had given her a new saddle, tooled with silver. Alaric's gift though, was probably the coolest according to Stefan. A Power Wheels Cadillac Escalade toy car that she could drive around in. Just her size. Lily's eyes grew wide when she saw Alaric push it out. It had a giant pink bow on it. Her squeals and screams of excitement echoed in the air. She even hugged Alaric. "This is so cool!" she screamed, climbing in it. Alaric showed her what to do and before long, Lily was driving around the table at full speed as her friends chased her around.

"That is the cutest thing ever" Elena said.

Alaric turned and smiled at Elena. "I saw it when I walked into the store and I had to buy it" he stated.

"Are you sure you didn't want it?" Stefan teased.

"Hey, if I could fit in it, I would be riding around in it" Alaric informed them.

This even got Caroline to laugh. "She sure does love it though" Caroline said as they watched Lily disappear around the side of the house.

Alaric smiled. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked her.

Caroline smiled. "Walk with me" she said, beginning to walk toward the backdoor. Alaric ran to catch up with her.

"They are so cute" Elena said, curling in to Stefan's side and wrapping her arms around him.

"My two good friends. Who would have thought" Stefan said, hugging Elena. Lily came driving around towards them once again, this time with less kids following her. "Hey!" he yelled, waving Lily over. Lily stopped the car at Stefan's feet. "Get in" Stefan said, nudging Elena.

Elena laughed. "What?" she asked. "That won't hold my weight" she reminded him.

"It will too" he said, grabbing Elena and pushing her towards the car. "Lily's driving" he smiled, helping Elena get in.

"Yeah, I'm driving!" Lily said excitedly, moving over.

"This is silly" Elena said, still laughing as Stefan held onto her arm as she got in. Lily floored the car and much to Elena's surprise, it moved forward. Elena turned around, holding on for dear life as she smiled at Stefan. He waved to her until she and Lily disappeared.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When all of the kids had gone home and Lily was taking all of her presents to her room, Elena took this opportunity to give Lily one more present. Lily sighed as she dropped the last of her bags on the floor. "That's a lot of presents" she said, pretending to wipe sweat off of her brow.

Elena smiled as she joined her on the floor. "I got you something too" she said, holding out a small box. "I know it isn't as much fun as all of your other presents, but I hope you like it" she told her.

Lily took the small box and carefully opened it. A small gold horseshoe necklace sat inside. Lily pulled it out and looked at it. "It's so pretty" Lily said, a smile creeping up on her lips. "Will you put in on me?" she asked, holding the necklace out to Elena.

"Of course" Elena smiled, taking the necklace from Lily and fastening it around her neck. "It looks beautiful on you" Elena said, tucking a piece of hair behind Lily's ear.

"Thank you Elena" Lily said, leaning forward and hugging her. Then she hopped up to her feet. "I have to go and show Daddy!" she said, running out of the room before Elena could even reply.

Elena sat where she was on Lily's floor and smiled. She was so relieved that Lily loved the necklace.

Eventually Elena pulled herself up from the floor and went back downstairs. She found Stefan leaning against the back of the couch waiting for her. "She can't stop talking about that necklace" Stefan grinned. "Where did you find it?" he asked curiously.

Elena leaned against him. "It was mine. I got it for my seventh birthday" Elena told him.

Stefan turned to face her. "You didn't have to give that to her" he told her. "If it means something to you …" he said hesitantly. Knowing Lily, she would lose it by the end of the week.

"It does mean something to me" Elena agreed. "Which is why I want her to have it" she added.

Stefan looked at Elena for a moment before he pulled her into a tight embrace. "How did I get so lucky with you?" he asked.

Elena smiled. "I ask myself the same thing about you" she replied, melting into his embrace a little more. If that were even possible.


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: Only two more updates left! I can't believe it. I hope they will be just as good as the previous 41 updates :D. **

**Thank you all so much for the reviews on the last update. Lily is a lucky kid, huh? I just love her to pieces!**

**Please do let me know what you think of this update. Does it heal your broken Stelena heart? I figure both the show as well as myself have broken your hearts enough. It is time to mend them : )**

"I didn't honestly think you would bring me here" Elena said as she looked out the window of their rented SUV. For the most part, all she saw was white as far as she could see. They hadn't really had all that much snow in Virginia that year, so she was definitely getting a taste of it while she was in Alaska.

Stefan turned his head towards her and smiled at her. With one hand on the steering wheel, he grabbed her hand with his free hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You know I'll always give you everything you want" he told her.

While Elena's heart did melt in her chest, she also laughed. "You're going to regret that one day" she told him, looking back out the window. She had big plans to renovate his – their – house and she was pretty sure he wasn't going to like it. Still, comments like those made her wonder if this was real or if she was going to wake up and find out that it was all just a dream. Marrying him. Loving him. It didn't seem real.

"Never" Stefan said, turning back to the road. Little did she know, she would have a brand new car waiting at home for her when they returned. It was about time. He had even brought Lily along to get a girl's opinion, since a girl would be driving it. While Stefan was concerned about safety and dependability, Lily was concerned about the color of the car, the sound system, and of course, the number of coffee cup holders. Lily always used up all of them whenever she was in anyone's car, placing in them bottles, hair clips, or, he cringed at the thought, her gum. Or anything else she needed to find a spot for. Thankfully after four and a half hours of searching, Lily talked him into one.

A comfortable silence passed over Stefan and Elena for a little while. "Are we almost there?" Elena asked. She was eager to get to wherever it was that Stefan was whisking her away to.

"Almost" Stefan said, looking around.

Elena crossed her arms and grinned. "You're lost" she told him.

Stefan got defensive. "I am not" he told her. Elena laughed at him and he was pretty sure she was the only one who could do that. He would never let anyone else get away with it. "It's just right over that hill" he informed her, really having no idea if it was or not.

"You're lucky you're cute" Elena told him. She didn't like getting lost with just anyone.

Stefan turned and looked over at her with the biggest smile ever. "I am pretty cute, aren't I" he said, clearly enjoying the attention she was giving him.

"Don't let it get to your head, Stefan" she told him. He reached his hand over to her and attempted to poke her side. "Hey!" she laughed, grabbing his hand. "Watch the road" she warned. "You're already lost enough" she smirked.

Stefan made sure to watch the road but went back after her, grabbing whatever he could. Elena laughed and curled into a ball to avoid his tickling hand at all costs. "Are you going to stop saying I'm lost?" he asked.

Elena was near tears from laughing so much. "No" she told him and fell into a fit of giggles as he tickled her even more. This was torture and she loved every minute of it. Every bad thing she had experienced in a relationship before was lost in her mind and the only suffering she felt right now was the immense fear that she was going to pee her pants.

Stefan took pity on her and let up finally. "Only because I don't want you to pee in here" he smirked. She swatted at his hand and sat up, her eyes still watering and her face still bright red.

"You're horrible" she told him, fixing her shirt and wiping at her eyes.

"That's not what you said last night" he reminded with a sly grin.

Elena thought about rolling her eyes and scolding him for that comment. But then she realized that was what he expected her to do. "You're right. You were pretty amazing last night" she agreed, turning to look at him. Stefan's grin fell as he looked at her. That wasn't the reaction he had expected. She was playing with him. That had to be it.

Her hand slipped onto his leg, resting just above his knee.

He looked at where her hand was resting and swallowed hard. "Uh huh" he said, attempting to agree but also realizing that his brain was turning to mush and he had no idea what he was agreeing to anymore.

Elena leaned over as far as she could, resting her chin on his shoulder so she could whisper in his ear. "Do you know what I want you to do to me tonight?" she asked, nipping lightly on the bottom of his ear.

Stefan hit the brakes on the SUV and it came sliding to a stop seconds later. "Dear God yes!" he said, forgetting all about the fact that she was playing him. He didn't care what she was doing as long as it was going in this direction.

Elena smiled. She loved that she could have this effect on him. It was nice to have that feeling that she could have control in a relationship, though, she knew very well that he could spin things on her quite easily and she would lose her control quite quickly. Elena bit down on the bottom of his ear again playfully as she moved her hand further up his leg. Stefan honestly thought he was going to black out. "I want you to …" she trailed off in a whisper as her hand skipped up and went under his shirt. "Make me …" she continued to whisper as she slowly tortured him.

"What?" he barely got out. He would do anything she asked and then more.

Elena smiled, loving his reactions to everything she was doing. "Cuddle with me until I fall asleep" she said, moving away from him and back into her own seat.

Stefan continued to stare straight ahead, in complete disbelief that she had turned him on like that, only to pull away when he needed her most. Elena laughed at how serious he looked, like his whole world had come crashing down on him. "That's ground for divorce" he told her, stepping on the gas and proceeding forward once again without even looking at her.

"Don't pout" she said, grabbing his hand. "That was for almost making me pee my pants earlier" she reminded him. "Torture for torture."

"Two very different kinds of torture" he grumbled.

"Stefan?" Elena asked.

"What?" he continued to grumble.

"I love you" she told him, a smile still on her face. She had gotten him good.

"You're lucky I love you too" he told her, eyeing her finally with an evil glare that soon turned in to a smile because let's face it, he loved her too damn much to be mad at her for longer than 30 seconds.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

The very large cabin Stefan had gotten for them was unlike anything Elena had ever seen. Although he was still not happy with her earlier game, watching her facial expressions turn from excitement to pure happiness was well worth the trouble he went to getting this place for the weekend. "This okay?" he asked her, dropping their bags just inside the front door.

Elena turned around and ran to him from across the living area, throwing her arms around his neck and jumping into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Stefan wrapped his arms around her, holding her in place. "Perfect" she smiled, leaning in and kissing him eagerly.

Stefan kissed her back, but slowed their kisses down, wanting to savor every moment. Coming to Alaska was perfect because there would be no one to disturb them. No little girl with long brown curls running into the room. No crazy ex fiancés with snarky comments. No siblings or best friends to take away even one minute that he knew he was going to spend with her. But Elena was becoming impatient with his attempt to slow things down. "Don't you want to see the rest of the cabin?" he mumbled in between their kisses.

Elena smiled against his lips. "Later" she breathed out, grabbing his shirt and pulling it up.

To hell with going slow. They ended up on the couch and somewhere between her sweater coming off and his pants being kicked down, they ended up on the floor. It was incredibly ungraceful and definitely not romantic, but it gave them a challenge and had them both laughing by the end of it.

Stefan draped a blanket over them, propping himself up on his elbow as he and Elena lay in front of the fire. Every now and then he would place a lazy kiss along her shoulder, but for the most part, they were both too tired to move after a day of traveling and an evening of … well, whatever it was called that they had just done. He figured that they should attempt to make dinner though. "Think you can make it to the kitchen?" he whispered lazily into her ear.

Elena sighed, her eyes closed as she contemplated sleep. "Maybe if you carry me" she told him.

Stefan smiled and kissed her hair. "You stay here. I'll get dinner started" he told her, slipping carefully away from her. Elena murmured something as he was putting his clothes back on, but he could tell that she was practically asleep.

Elena woke up just as dinner was ready. She too put her clothes back on, blushing as she looked around the room and seeing what a mess it was. Throw pillows were on the floor and things were knocked over on tables. "You're up" Stefan smiled, walking in with two plates.

"Thank you" she said, grabbing her plate from where she sat on the floor. Stefan took a seat across from her on the floor. He stared at her for a moment as she neatly cut her food. She looked up to find him watching her. "What?" she asked.

He couldn't help but smile. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were wrinkled. Her eyes were still sleepy, but she had a glow to her that he never wanted to fade. For a girl who had been through so much, she looked completely content being right there with him. "Nothing" he said, deciding to keep his thoughts to himself.

Dinner was casual and so was the conversation. He needed it to be, for his own sanity. When they had finished, Elena offered to take the plates to the kitchen for them.

When she returned, she froze completely still at the sight of him down on one knee, holding a small open box with a ring inside. Her eyes showed her confusion, but his eyes were confident. "Elena Gilbert" he said, feeling his heart beat a million times faster than normal. He didn't know why he was so nervous. "Will you marry me, for real?" he asked her.

Her hand went up to cover her mouth as a swarm of emotions slammed into her all at once. Excitement. Happiness. More excitement. Only good things. As she took a few steps closer and got a better look at the ring, she thought she might pass out. It was beyond beautiful. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she nodded her head quickly. "Yes" she finally got out, proud of herself for not choking up during her answer.

Stefan sighed with relief as he took the ring out of the box, slid the ring already on her finger off, and placed the new one on it. Elena admired the ring for a moment before pulling him into a deep kiss. When they broke apart, she was looking at the ring again. "Do you like it" he asked.

She nodded. Of course she did. "I love it, Stefan" she told him. "But this is too much" she said, shaking her head. She couldn't keep it.

Stefan smiled, tilting her chin up slightly with his finger. He knew he would meet some resistance with her over the ring because that's the kind of girl she was. She valued your time and your love more than any materialistic thing. His eyes looked deep into hers for a moment. "It was my grandmother's" he told her.

Another wave of emotions slammed into her as she stepped away from him and shook her head once again. "No, you can't give this to me" she told him. "Lily should have this" she said, attempting to take to off. "It belongs in your family" she told him.

Stefan grabbed her hand and stopped her. He pulled her close again so he could look in her eyes. "You are my family now" he reminded her. "You are a part of this family just as much as Lily is" he added, kissing her lips gently. "Besides, Lily already has a ring promised to her from our aunt" he added.

Elena's eyes seemed to brighten just a little. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"The only thing I have been more sure about" he said, kissing her again softly. "Is wanting to spend the rest of my life with you" he added. He kissed her again. "So yes, I am sure" he told her, pulling her even closer to him.

Elena smiled as she leaned her forehead against his and looked into his eyes. "I love you" she said, finally letting her tears fall. Happy tears, of course.

"I love you too" he told her, wiping away some of the tears that fell down her cheeks. He pulled her into a proper hug, wanting to just hold her for a while. To have her body against his and to have his arms wrapped around her. "I love you too" he repeated in a whisper against her ear.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Later that night, Elena was sound asleep with her head against his chest and her hand resting on his stomach. He looked at the new ring on her finger as he slowly ran his hand up and down her back, careful not to wake her.

He had never planned on giving Katherine his grandmother's ring. His grandmother had told him to give the ring to the girl he planned to spend the rest of his life with. Maybe deep down, he knew it wouldn't last with Katherine.

But Elena was different. She was someone you always wanted to be around, even when you didn't want to be around anyone. He wasn't about to let her get away again. He silently vowed to himself that he would do whatever it took to make it work with her. He also knew that Elena would do the same.

Her hand moved slightly, grabbing a handful of his shirt. "You're still awake" she said sleepily, looking up through her eyelashes at him.

"I'm not all that tired" he told her. It was hard to fall asleep when his other option was watching her.

Elena tangled her legs in between his and readjusted her head on his chest. "I got an interesting phone call from Zach the other day" she said, figuring they could talk now since they were both awake.

"Oh yeah?" he asked. He was pretty sure he knew what it was about, but he would play stupid for the time being.

"You wouldn't know anything about him offering me a job, would you?" she asked suspiciously, turning her head to look at him again.

"I might have mentioned something to him about you wanting a job" he said, continuing to run his hand along her back.

"You didn't have to do that" Elena told him.

Stefan sighed. "I just feel guilty that you had to quit your job in LA" he told her. "I know how excited you were to put your degree to use."

Elena moved over the top of Stefan so she could look into his eyes. "I didn't have to quit" Elena corrected him. "I did it because I wanted to" she reminded. "And I turned Zach down. I want to find a job on my own."

"Fair enough" Stefan replied.

"But it was very sweet of you to look out for me like that" she added, giving him a small smile. "I'll find a new job. It just might take me a little bit to find something I really like." That would be the hard part, being so patient. Especially when Elena had spent the past few years having to rely on herself to pay rent and buy groceries and all those other things. It was different now though, having someone who could take care of her. Though, she didn't feel right about it. Although her salary would never come close to the kind of money he had, at least she could say that she was doing something she loved.

Stefan ran both of his hands along her back now, memorizing the dips and curves of her muscles. "There's no hurry" he said, kissing her forehead. "I just want you to find something you love" he added, putting a little more pressure where he touched.

Elena sighed as she laid her head against his shoulder. "That feels really good" she said, closing her eyes.

So he continued, enjoying the feel of her heartbeat against his. "I was thinking" he said, looking down at her briefly. "That we should set a date for the real wedding" he said.

She popped her head up, a bit surprised that he would be so into the wedding planning. "How about August" she said, thinking that it would give her plenty of time to plan for a wedding that she really wanted. Simple and elegant.

"August is perfect" he told her, kissing her lips. "Should I book a place when we get back?" he asked.

Elena shook her head. "Let's keep it simple this time" she told him. "We can have the ceremony in our backyard" she said. It was already beautiful back there and if they brought in a few flowers, it would be just the right amount of elegance that she was looking for.

"Guests?" he asked, liking the idea of having the wedding right in their own backyard.

"Just close family and friends" she smiled.

"I'm liking the sound of this already" he said, moving one of his hands to her hair so he could twirl small strands around his finger.

"It's going to be perfect" she said, leaning in and kissing him.

"Mmm, agreed" he said, holding her close as they resumed kissing. He was actually looking forward to this wedding. He typically hated them and only went when it was required. This one was going to be different though. He wasn't going to dread any of it. He was going to embrace it, knowing this time, that it was for real.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: Only one more update for this story and it will be an epilogue! Wow. Over 1000 reviews and so many amazing comments from you all. I am truly grateful for each and every one of you ;) **

**The first chapter of my new story will be posted at the same time that I post the epilogue for this story. I do hope you will check it out. I have another story planned as well, but I can only write one story at a time right now. **

**Thank you again so much! **

"There" Caroline said, securing the small flower in Lily's hair. Lily turned to look in the mirror and smiled. Caroline turned to see that Bonnie was finishing up with Elena's hair, having swept it back, allowing for a few pieces of hair to fall along her face. Those were then curled into delicate ringlets.

"Done" Bonnie said, turning Elena's chair so she could see herself in the mirror. "You look beautiful" Bonnie smiled, squeezing Elena's shoulder.

Elena looked at herself in the mirror in complete awe. Bonnie had done such a wonderful job with her hair and Caroline had done wonders with her makeup. Then Elena saw Lily in the mirror, standing behind her. Lily looked like a little angel, dressed in her green dress and her long curls falling down her back. "Look at you" Elena smiled, turning around so she could face her. "You look so beautiful" she said, grabbing Lily's hands.

"You look pretty too, Aunt Elena" she said, smiling brightly. Elena couldn't stop the tear that escaped her. That was the first time Lily had ever referred to her as her aunt. And it felt amazing.

"Ah ah ah, no crying" Caroline warned, shaking her finger. "You'll ruin your makeup" she reminded.

Elena carefully wiped at her tear before pulling Lily into a hug. "I love you so much" Elena whispered to her.

"I love you too" Lily said, trying to whisper as well. Elena finally let Lily go, holding her at arm's length and fixing the curls that she had crushed while hugging her.

A soft knock on the door startled all four girls. "They're ready" came Jeremy's voice. Elena took a deep breath before standing. Jeremy smiled at each one of them as they filed out of the room. Elena remained where she was though, figuring it would be a few minutes before she would have to begin walking.

Bonnie would be walking with Damon. Elena apologized profusely to Bonnie for this, though she knew that Stefan had made Damon promise to behave himself. Caroline was going to walk with Alaric and although this was not a setup, Caroline swore it was a setup.

Jeremy was going to walk with her. The ceremony, a vow renewal, was going to be more intimate than their first wedding. Elena felt like she could actually express how she felt with Stefan today in the close company of their friends and family. "You look beautiful" Jeremy said, smiling at her once more. Elena moved forward and pulled him into a hug before she began crying again. "Mom and Dad would be so happy right now" he told her quietly, hugging her tight.

Elena nodded. "I hope so" she said. "I'm so glad you're here" she added. "It means a lot to me."

Jeremy pulled away from her. "I wouldn't miss it" he smiled, grabbing her hand. "Come on. It's almost time" he told her, pulling her along. Elena took another long, deep breath as they stood just inside the backdoor, waiting. "You're not nervous, are you?" he asked.

Elena shook her head yes. "I just don't want to forget what I want to say" she said. She wanted it to be perfect. She wanted everyone to know how Stefan made her feel. But most importantly, she wanted Stefan to know, and she had a lifetime to tell him.

Jeremy squeezed her hand. "You won't" he assured her. The music began and Jeremy and Elena began walking.

By the time she was halfway there, Elena finally focused on everyone standing up front, waiting for her. Lily, standing in front of Bonnie, and Caroline behind them. Alaric standing behind Damon. And finally, Stefan standing in the center, his piercing green eyes glued to her from the moment he saw her.

Elena felt herself blush and had to focus on Jeremy. But soon, she had to let him go. He kissed her cheek and gave her hand to Stefan, eyeing him with a warning look that Stefan seemed to understand.

Stefan smiled as he stood with Elena, grabbing both of her hands now. "You look beautiful" he mouthed to her as he heard the Celebrant reading from a book, informing every one of the reason that they were all sitting there today. But Stefan wasn't listening. How could he when the one girl he wanted more than anything was standing in front of him, looking at him adoringly?

"Thank you" Elena mouthed back, feeling the butterflies in her stomach already.

As the Celebrant continued, speaking of the importance of a wedding vow renewal, Lily realized she could not take it anymore. She left her position in front of Bonnie and quickly made her way to Stefan, tugging on the bottom of his jacket. Stefan was so lost in Elena that he didn't even see Lily until she made her presence known. "Uncle Stefan I have to go potty" she whispered, crossing her legs.

Everyone laughed as Damon grabbed her, picked her up, and walking quickly with her back inside, Katherine sunk lower in her chair, somewhat mortified that her daughter had disrupted the ceremony.

Elena and Stefan laughed quietly as they looked at each other. Only Lily could disrupt something this important and still be so cute.

"I think it is time for Stefan and Elena to share their vows with each other" the Celebrant said. "Elena, would you like to go first?"

Elena nodded. She took another breath and could feel her hands tremble. Stefan could feel them too. "I … I used to tell myself that one day, I would meet this perfect guy who would make me smile and laugh every day that I was with him. The perfect guy who would give me my happy ending" she began, staring into Stefan's eyes. "I had to tell myself this, to get through most days" she continued, thinking back to those heartbreaking times that she had endured in the past. Stefan squeezed her hands, reminding her that those days were over. And that they would never come back. "I didn't think you were a perfect guy when I first met you" she said, speaking to Stefan and causing most everyone to laugh. Stefan grinned, remembering quite well how much she hated him. "I'm sure I called you a few choice names and I know I made you work for my trust. But you kept at it, probably when you shouldn't have. But I'm thankful that you never gave up." She took another small breath and smiled. "It didn't take me long to realize you weren't perfect" she said, getting another laugh and a smile out of Stefan. "I realized that I didn't need perfect. I only needed you" she said, feeling her tears begin. "It took me too long to realize that you could give me my happy ending" she quickly added. "And that is what I want, right here, right now, with you" she told him, smiling nervously. "I love you, Stefan. Nothing will ever change that" she finished.

Stefan was pretty sure that if there weren't people watching them, he would have pushed her up against that nearby tree and kissed her senseless. But he was going to behave himself because he had her all to himself tonight. "The first day I met you, you slammed me up against the wall because I was hitting on you" he began, causing Elena to turn red and the audience to laugh. "And I thought it was the sexiest thing ever" he added. More laughter. More of Elena turning red. "I was pretty damn determined to never get married and to just have fun for the rest of my life" he admitted. "Until you made me realize that someone could love me enough to make me want to love her back. To want to marry her. Start a family eventually" he added. "I fell so hard for you, Elena. And I'm pretty sure every day I am with you, I fall even more in love with you. And I plan to give you everything so that you can have your happy ending. So that we can have our happy ending. I love you."

Before the Celebrator could even say the words, Elena was already in Stefan's arms kissing him. Lily made it back just in time and began clapping with everyone else who were now in tears.

As soon as Stefan and Elena pulled apart, he grabbed her hand so they could walk back down the aisle. Now, the marriage was real. Both of them could feel it. But Stefan's plans to sneak off with Elena were dashed when Caroline began shouting that they all had to go and have pictures done. "No" Stefan whined.

"Yes" Caroline whined back. "God, is sex all you think about?" she asked, her hands on her hips. "This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life. Don't you want to remember it?" she asked him.

"I'll remember it just fine, upstairs with Elena" Stefan stated.

"Yes, we do" Elena corrected, eyeing him mischievously. "And after pictures, we are having dinner and then dancing, remember?" Elena reminded him as his hand wandered across her back.

"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked against her ear as he began kissing her.

Elena smiled as she pushed him away from her. "Pictures" Elena said, grabbing his tie and pulling him along.

"Yeah, pictures Uncle Stefan, pictures!" Lily chanted as she ran past them. Wherever there was a camera, there was Lily.

"See?" Caroline said as the others followed. "Your niece has the right idea" she added.

Stefan grumbled as he wrapped his arms around Elena and tried multiple times to drag her off into the hedges and sneak away. Elena laughed every time, but managed to get them to the front of the yard for pictures.

The girls took their pictures first, including one of Elena's favorites where she was holding Lily. The boys followed and somehow, Lily made it into most of those pictures as well. Then the girls joined the boys and even more pictures were taken. Katherine hung back, a neutral look on her face as she watched everyone get their pictures done.

Elena glanced over and saw Katherine. She felt bad for her. She really had been left out of everything. Stefan had even planned on not inviting her to the ceremony until Elena told him he had to. "Katherine!" Elena called. Katherine whipped her head around to see Elena waving her over. "Come and get some pictures!" Elena encouraged. Katherine shook her head no. "Yes. I want some with you and Lily and Damon" Elena told her.

Katherine looked around, internally debating with herself before she walked over and stood with Lily and Damon. She did end up smiling as the camera went off. Damon and Lily seemed really happy to have her there.

Stefan slipped his arm around Elena and kissed the side of her head. "You're a much better person than I am" he told her, holding her close.

Elena smiled as she watched the three of them. "No" Elena told him. "I just believe in happy endings" she reminded him.

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Dinner was over before anyone knew it. Elena was kind of glad because most of her dinner time was spent walking around the table and talking. She was most excited about the dancing that was about to take place.

Stefan had finally stopped trying to sneak her away and was thoroughly enjoying himself. Lily was entertaining everyone with her stories about Stefan, some of them funny and most of them embarrassing.

Stefan, giving up on telling Lily to stop with the stories, grabbed Elena and led her to where the live band was set up. He wrapped his arm around her, grabbed her hand, and began swaying with her to the music. There were no words being sung, but the rhythm was slow and it was perfect. "I love when you dance with me" Elena said, smiling up at him.

Stefan dipped his head some, capturing her lips with his. By this point, other couples had joined in on the dancing too. Damon had Katherine in his arms and Jeremy had Bonnie. Caroline reluctantly began dancing with Alaric. Zach was left with Lily, though he didn't seem to mind. She was a very good dancer.

One song. Two songs. Three. Stefan reluctantly let go of Elena when Alaric requested that he get to dance with her. Caroline looked extremely happy to dance with Stefan though. "You are glowing you're so happy" Caroline told him. They danced for a few minutes.

"Is it that obvious?" he finally asked her. Caroline nodded with a smile. "Good" he said, spinning Caroline away from him and switching her out with Katherine by mistake.

"Well" Katherine said, beginning to move with Stefan. "You look all happy" she told him, smirking.

"I am happy" Stefan agreed. He nodded over towards Damon. "You two seem to be doing better" Stefan said, turning with her so she faced Damon.

"I love him" Katherine admitted. "I love you too, though" she also admitted. Stefan looked at her curiously. "I know. You're married and happy" she said, rolling her eyes. "I just need to know that I'll always have you in my life in some way, shape or form" she told him.

Stefan thought for a moment before answering. "We have Lily. She's our connection. So, you don't have to worry about losing me" he told her, seeing true emotion in her eyes right then. "But I need you to accept Elena. Because she means a lot to me and Lily" he explained.

Katherine studied him for a moment. "Fine" she said. "I will accept Elena" she stated. "But don't expect me to go shopping with her or have lunch with her" she said, scoffing as if that would be the death of her.

Stefan smiled. It was a start. A very good start. "I wouldn't expect that at all" he told her.

"My turn Uncle Stefan" Lily said, squeezing in between him and her mother. "Excuse me Mommy. Your turn is up" Lily said, reaching her arms up until Stefan picked her up. Katherine grinned before she began to dance with Zach.

"Don't you look pretty" Stefan said, spinning around with Lily, making her laugh. "What's this I hear about you pushing a boy down on the playground the other day?" he asked.

"Corey tried to kiss me, so I pushed him down" Lily said. "I only got in trouble because he cried like a little baby" she added.

Stefan grinned. "That's my girl" he said proudly, holding up his hand so she could high five him.

"I don't think he'll try to kiss me no more" she said.

"I don't think he will either" Stefan agreed. "But if he does?" Stefan asked.

"Push him down harder" she grinned.

Stefan kissed her forehead and then set her down as the song ended. "Go and get some cake" he said, pushing her along in the direction with the tables. Stefan looked around for Elena and found her dancing with Zach. She was looking at Zach and laughing about something. Her laugh could kill him from happiness if that were possible. Stefan walked up to them and tapped Zach on the shoulder. "Think I could take my wife back?" Stefan asked, a genuine smile on his face.

"I suppose" Zach said, handing Elena's hand to Stefan. "Congratulations you two. For real this time" he winked before walking off. 

Stefan pulled Elena close to him and began dancing with her once again. "Hi" she smiled, resting her head against his shoulder. It was nice to just lest relax for a moment.

"Hi" Stefan smiled, kissing against her ear. "Walk with me?" he asked, checking around to make sure no one was watching them. Katherine was kissing Damon while Lily was arguing with Alaric about something. Caroline was refereeing. Bonnie and Jeremy were talking with Zach. It was a perfect time to get away.

Before Elena could protest, Stefan was walking her across the yard to the trail that led to the back of the property where the barn was. Elena laughed while Stefan tried to tell her to be quiet, though he was laughing too, especially after Elena had tripped over a tree root and he had had to catch her. "We're abandoning our guests" Elena told him.

"They can entertain themselves for a little while" Stefan told her. He continued to walk with her into the barn, shutting the door behind them. Once inside, he pulled her into a long kiss. When he pulled away slightly, he smiled down at her. "I just wanted a moment alone with you" he told her. Just a few minutes to kiss her and gaze at her to really make sure this was all real.

Elena was a bit surprised when Stefan pulled her into a firm, yet gentle hug, rather than trying to get her dress off. "I think I can handle that" she smiled, moving her arms up to wrap them around his neck. She leaned up on her tippy toes and kissed him, surprising him at first, but enticing him soon after. They were slow, sensual kisses and they were perfect. "So, tonight" she said before he kissed her again. "I thought we could put photo albums together with all the pictures of us and our families" Elena said, accepting another kiss from him.

Stefan grinned when he pulled his lips away from hers briefly. "You're funny" he told her, kissing her again. "We can do that tomorrow. Tonight, I want to show you how much I really love you" he said, whispering in her ear.

"Yeah, that does sound better actually" Elena said, closing her eyes as she felt Stefan kissing her neck. Stefan mumbled his agreement. "Can I make any requests for tonight?" she asked, feeling her legs begin to give way from under her. Luckily, he had a strong hold on her, physically and mentally.

"Mmmm hmmmm" Stefan mumbled, kissing her shoulder now. He was a little irritated with her dress. It didn't show enough skin for him to kiss.

"I love you" she whispered with a smile.

"I love you too, Elena" he told her. "Forever. And ever. And ever" he said, finally placing a gentle kiss against her cheek. The perfect gesture from an almost perfect guy.


	43. Epilogue

**A/N: Well, this is it. The very last update for this story. I would just like to say, thank you all so much for your support. I would have never written this story without it.**

**Let's not forget, you all made this story surpass 1000 reviews. I've been informed that this is a first for a Stefan/Elena story. I feel honored that you all would take the time to review and to make this happen. **

**Again, THANK YOU! I hope you enjoy this epilogue : )**

**Also, my new story, The You Were has been posted as well. Check it out and let me know what you think.**

_***4 Years Later***_

Nine months. That was how long he had waited. And five days earlier, his wait had come to an end.

Now, sitting in the chair he had bought Elena, in the nursery, he held his beautiful little girl, wrapped in a pink blanket, in his arms, and just stared at her. The sun was coming up outside, lighting the room a little – just enough for him to be able to see her face. Her eyes were blue, though, he was pretty sure they were going to turn green later on. Just like his.

They had named her Brooke. Elena had suggested it and Stefan had loved it. If you just looked at her, you knew her name was perfect. Just like her.

He thought he was ready. After all, he had been around Lily all of her life. But this was so much different, being a father. He could not even describe it, but it was amazing. She was holding on to his finger tightly, staring up at him, trying to figure him out. He was staring down at her, trying to figure her out.

So he continued to smile at her, loving every minute that he spent with her. "I love you" Stefan said quietly, rubbing her small hand with his thumb. She tightened her hand around his finger even more and he knew that this little girl would have him so tightly wrapped around her little finger until the day he died. Just like Lily. And just like Elena.

"Thought I'd find you in here" came Elena's voice, soft and full of sleepiness. But she was smiling as she leaned against the doorframe.

"I can't seem to get enough of her" Stefan said, smiling at Elena before looking down at Brooke.

Elena slowly walked towards them, the two loves of her life. "Look at how she's looking at you" Elena said. It made her heart melt completely. "She adores you" Elena smiled.

Stefan looked up at Elena once again. "Come here" he told her, shifting a bit in the chair. Elena sat down in the chair with him and he placed Brooke in her arms.

"Hi sweetheart" Elena smiled, kissing her head. Brooke reached her tiny hand up and grabbed Elena's chin. Elena kissed her hand and smiled. Elena laughed when she yawned. "I think she's sleepy" Elena told Stefan.

When Brooke closed her eyes, Elena leaned her head against Stefan's and they both watched their little girl sleep. "Thank you Elena" Stefan whispered, kissing her temple.

"For what?" she asked.

Stefan smiled. "For making me the happiest man alive" he whispered. He kissed her head again and closed his own eyes, content with having Elena and Brooke close to him.

Elena reached one hand out and grabbed his hand to hold. She kept her eyes open, listening to both her little girl and Stefan breathe so peacefully. She wondered how they had gotten here after four years. They had spent almost every waking (and sleeping) moment together and if it were possible, loved each other more because of it. Of course she had enjoyed it being just the two of them. They traveled to places all around the world. Places she had never seen, but wanted to. They had acted like love-struck teenagers too, randomly making out whenever they felt like it. It had been an amazing four years. Yet somehow, right now, with the baby, was even more amazing. This moment was what she had expected for herself when she thought about marriage and family. Everything was perfect.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next day, as Stefan held Brooke on the couch while Elena took a nap, his front door opened and in walked Lily, now almost twelve, chatting away on the new phone Damon had bought for her. She saw Stefan who smiled and waved to her, but she put her finger up, telling him she would be with him in a minute. Then, she walked into the kitchen in search of something, all the while tell someone named Lindsey that some guy named David was stupid for not returning her text message.

Stefan had sadly given up on keeping Lily away from boys. It was as if almost instantly when she turned eleven, everything was about boys. Damon gave up to and bought a gun to make his point clear when the boys came over to his house.

Stefan looked down at Brooke and sighed. "I'll do better with you" he promised. "All-girls school and no outside interaction with boys whatsoever" he promised. Brooke seemed more interested in her binky. He missed those days.

He heard Lily hang up as she walked into the living room and dropped her bag in the middle of the floor, propping her feet up on Stefan's 100 year old table. "Everything okay?" Stefan asked when she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Boys" she said. "I need Aunt Elena" she added before opening one eye and looking at him.

Stefan smiled. The two of them had become extremely close over the years and Elena was now Lily's go to person for boy problems. Stefan liked that because although he could never get any information out of Elena regarding what she and Lily talked about, he knew that Elena was the best person to give advice to a hormonal preteen. "She's still asleep. Anything I can help with?" he asked.

Lily looked like she wanted to laugh, but she just smiled instead. "Nope, but thanks" she told him. "How's the crying poop maker?" she asked, looking at the baby curled up in her uncle's arms.

Stefan grinned. Katherine, no doubt, had taught her that one. "She's perfect" Stefan said. "Do you want to hold her?" he asked.

Lily shrugged. "I guess" she said, trying to imply that she really didn't care, but really, Stefan knew she was always thrilled when someone would let her hold the baby. She was really good with her too, having been able to soothe her, change her diaper, and feed her. She stood up and came and sat down next to Stefan, holding her arms out so he could place the baby in her arms.

Brooke looked up at Lily, realizing there was a different face staring down at her. But, she was a content baby and never really put up much of a fuss when someone was holding her. She just seemed to like the attention, something that Elena had always teased Stefan about. "Do you want to babysit her next month?" Stefan asked. He and Elena had a night out planned. Damon would be home of course, so Lily would not be on her own with the baby.

"How much are you going to pay me?" she asked, looking up at him.

Yes, definitely Katherine's child. "What do you think is fair?" Stefan countered.

Lily shrugged. "I don't know. Like a hundred bucks an hour" she figured.

That might have been a little part of Damon actually. "Done" Stefan said. Even after eleven years, he still couldn't tell her no. As a result, he was out three hundred bucks. "Can you watch her for a minute? I'm going to get her a bottle" Stefan said, standing up and leaving the room.

Lily stared down at Brooke for a moment. "You're kind of cute when you aren't pooping and throwing up on me" she said with a smile. Then she sniffed when she realized something smelled. The baby. "Ugh, gross" she said. "Uncle Stefan! Your baby pooped!" she called out. Lily was quick to give the baby back.

Stefan laughed, walking back into the room. He grabbed Brooke and smelled her. "Yep, you need a diaper change" he said. Lily looked disgruntled still. "Oh stop. I had to change your diapers" Stefan reminded her just as Elena walked into the room.

Lily looked mortified. "God Uncle Stefan, don't talk about that!" she warned.

This had Stefan and Elena laughing. "Oh look, Mommy's here, just in time" Stefan said, holding the baby out to Elena.

"I don't think so, buddy. I changed the last diaper" she reminded him. Stefan grinned as he started to walk up the stairs with the baby. Elena waited until he was gone until she spoke again. "So how are things with David?" she asked.

Lily groaned. "Why are boys so stupid Aunt Elena?" she asked, falling back even more into the couch.

Elena came and sat down next to her, wrapping her arm around her and pulling her close. "Boys are just a lot more immature than us, that's all" she told Lily. "You just have to wait for them to catch up."

"How long does that take?" Lily asked, concern filling her voice.

Elena smiled. "I'm still waiting for your uncle to catch up, so I guess I can't give you an answer" she replied.

Lily rested her head on Elena's shoulder and sighed. "I'm done with boys. For good" Lily stated. Elena smiled, knowing that Lily would be boy crazy by tomorrow morning.

"You're still young. Wait a few years" Elena advised.

Lily sighed again, processing what Elena was saying. "Are you still coming to my horse show this weekend?" Lily asked. Jumping. Stefan had to admit, he would have rather seen her go into the gaming events, but Lily loved jumping so he bought her the perfect horse for it.

"You bet I am" Elena told her. Stefan and Damon were going to watch Brooke while she and Katherine went to the show.

"I wish Brooke could come and watch me" Lily said. "I'm going to teach her how to ride" she added.

Elena smiled. "She's still a bit too young to go to your shows and to ride" Elena mentioned. "But when she is ready, she's going to love it."

A comfortable silence fell over them until the front door opened yet again, this time, with Damon and Katherine walking in, followed by Caroline, Alaric, and much to Elena's surprise, Jeremy and Bonnie. "Hey!" Bonnie squealed, running past everyone to hug Elena.

"What are you guys doing here?" Elena asked in complete surprise. Classes weren't over for another week. Then it was graduation, which Elena was sad to have to miss.

"We took our exams early" Bonnie explained. "Now where is my niece?" she demanded. Having missed the birth five days ago, she had serious time to make up for.

Elena smiled. "Stefan took her upstairs to be changed" Elena said. Before she could say another word, Bonnie was gone, heading up the stairs in search of the baby.

Elena accepted hugs from Caroline and Alaric as well, who both kept their distance from one another, but it was obvious that they were sleeping together. "Sorry we couldn't be at the hospital with you" Caroline apologized.

Elena shook her head. "You're here now" Elena reminded them with a smile. She actually preferred that it had only been Stefan, Lily, Damon, and sometimes Katherine at the hospital. It was overwhelming enough.

Katherine sat down on a chair at the opposite end of the room, pulling out her compact and checking her makeup. She really hadn't been that interested in the baby. Damon, on the other hand, was a baby hog and everyone knew it. Once he got Brooke in his arms, it was hours before he gave her up. Elena could tell just by watching his face that he wanted another baby. It kind of hurt Elena knowing that Katherine would never give him another one.

"You had better get started on your homework young lady" Damon said, eyeing Lily. She was the worst procrastinator ever. Though, she was smart as hell.

Lily rolled her eyes. "God, Dad. Could you be any more of a buzz kill?" she asked, getting up from the couch and grabbing her bag. "I'll be in Uncle Stefan's office" she said, addressing no one in particular.

Katherine sat back, completely amused with her daughter's attitude. "Glad you find it amusing" Damon grumbled.

Moments later, Bonnie came walking back into the room with Brooke in her arms. Everyone but Katherine circled Bonnie to get a look at the baby and quite possibly, take the baby to hold. It wasn't going to happen though. "Back it up guys. It is my baby time right now" she said, taking a seat on the couch next to Elena. Elena resisted the urge to take Brooke from Bonnie, just because she missed holding her. "Oh Elena, she's gorgeous" Bonnie gushed.

"Isn't she?" Elena said, smiling as she touched her daughter's hand and made silly faces at her.

Two more hours went by with everyone complaining that Damon was hogging the baby. Again. Elena finally pried the baby from his arms though, announcing that she needed to put Brooke to bed. There were whines and moans, but Elena was successful at getting the baby upstairs and into her nursery.

Elena changed her once again and placed the blanket underneath her, getting ready to swaddle her. Elena attempted once but failed. She undid the blanket and tried again. It still wasn't right. She tried to remember exactly how the nurse had showed her, but it wasn't working. "You forgot to pull one end over her shoulder" came Katherine's voice from inside the door. Elena turned around, surprised to see her standing there. Elena stared at her almost blankly. "Here" she said, walking into the room and spreading the blanket into a diamond shape and picking Brooke up, placing her in the middle. "Over her chest. Up and over her shoulder. Then back over her chest and tuck in" Katherine instructed, almost effortlessly. She picked Brooke up and cradled her. She hated to admit it, but the kid was beautiful.

"Thank you" Elena said, watching Katherine. "Do you ever think about having another one?" she asked.

Katherine rocked the baby softly in her arms, continuing to stare at her. Brooke's eyes were closing slowly. "Damon wants another one" Katherine said. Pregnancy just wasn't something she handled well. "Those Salvatores sure do make beautiful babies though" Katherine said. The she carefully put a sleepy Brooke back in her crib.

Elena smiled down at her daughter. "They sure do" she agreed.

Katherine looked up to find Stefan in the doorway. She wondered how long he had been there. "I'm going to go back downstairs" she said, walking past Stefan. Stefan grabbed her hand though, and mouthed a thank you to her before letting her continue on her way. Katherine smiled before leaving.

"How long have you been standing there?" Elena asked, still standing over Brooke's crib.

"Long enough to see you and Katherine bonding" he smirked, coming to stand at her side. "That was nice of her to help you" Stefan said.

Elena nodded. "Yeah, it was" she agreed, leaning in to rest against Stefan. "What's everyone doing?" she asked.

"Alaric and Caroline are getting ready to head back to their hotel and your brother and Bonnie are getting ready to come upstairs and go to bed" he replied. "Lily is in my office doing her homework and Damon is asleep on the couch" he added.

Elena nodded, still focused on her sleeping baby. "I just can't stop looking at her" she said, feeling herself smile again.

Stefan kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer to him. "I can't either" he told her. They both watched Brooke sleep for a few more minutes before going back downstairs.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

Stefan found Lily still in his office doing her homework. "I think your parents are ready to go" he told her.

Lily sighed, shutting her book, seemingly frustrated. She looked up at him and he thought she was going to cry. "Do you love the baby more than me, because she's yours?" Lily asked, looking up at him.

Stefan was almost floored by her question, but he kept his composure. "Absolutely not. I love you both the same" he told her. "Why would you ask me that?" he asked her, walking towards her. He made her get up so he could sit down. Lily sat down with him.

"It's just … you spend all your time with the baby now. And even before she was born, you were always working on the nursery or reading your baby books" she told him. "You stopped going to my horse shows" she said in a tone that sounded devastated. He had pushed her into horses from an early age, then abandoned her.

Stefan realized that all of this was true. His entire focus had been on the baby and her arrival. There was no excuse. He had failed to balance his time with Lily and his time with his own daughter. "I'm sorry" he told her, kissing the top of her head. "I should have been spending more time with you. And I will from now on. We're going to pick two days a week where just you and I spend a little time together, okay?" he told her.

"Really?" she asked, somewhat excited that he would want to.

Stefan nodded. "We can do anything you want. Go for a trail ride, dinner, a movie, ice cream" he listed off.

"All four!" Lily said, hugging him. "But the ice cream first" she added.

Stefan hugged her back. "Sounds good" he told her.

"Oh, and can I have some money for the movies tomorrow?" she asked, pulling away from him. "Daddy said I had to clean my room if I wanted money to go with Sarah" she added.

Stefan grinned before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a twenty. "Here" he told her.

Lily's eyes lit up at the sight of the money. "You're the best! I love you Uncle Stefan!" she said, hugging him once again.

"I told Damon she'd get it out of you" Katherine said, smirking from the door. Stefan wondered if she made a habit out of lurking.

Stefan smiled. "How could anyone ever say no to this?" he asked, pinching Lily's cheeks, causing her to giggle.

"You can't say no to me Uncle Stefan" she told him. "You love me too much" she added.

"You're right about that" Stefan said, helping Lily up. "Have fun with Sarah tomorrow. And make sure you get your room cleaned eventually" he told her.

Lily nodded. Katherine wondered how he did it. She and Damon had bribed Lily with everything imaginable to try and get her to clean her room, yet all Stefan had to do was tell her and she was willing to do it. "Bye Uncle Stefan" she said. "Give Brooke a kiss goodnight for me" she added before skipping out of the room with her new twenty.

Katherine and Stefan both looked at one another and laughed. "She's got you wrapped around her finger even after all these years" Katherine said, taking the book Stefan handed to her.

"Well, she's worth every last dime she squeezes out of me" he said, looking at a photo of him and Lily sitting on his desk. Katherine nodded in agreement. Stefan had seen such a change in Katherine over the last few years. She had really made an effort to be a mother to Lily. Lily had really grown close to her as a result. "You're doing a great job, you know. Being a mom. I'm really happy that you decided to make the effort" he told her. Katherine, not one to shy away from praise, looked surprised to hear this from him, but he could tell that she wanted to smile proudly. "And thank you, for helping Elena earlier. It really means a lot to me" he added. She was trying. Really trying.

Katherine nodded again. "Brooke is beautiful" she told Stefan. "And she's got the best parents in the world" she added. She was being sincere and Stefan could tell. But as soon as the moment came, it was gone. "Goodnight, Stefan" she said, backing slowly away from the door before disappearing.

"Goodnight" he said, turning back to the photo of him and Lily. He decided that he was going to frame the picture taken at the hospital of Lily holding Brooke for the first time. Lily's excitement was captured perfectly in that photo. Stefan smiled at the thought of his two little girls before standing up and heading back upstairs.

"Hey" Elena said as Stefan came into their room. "Lily and them go home?" she asked.

Stefan wrapped his arms around Elena as she put her hair up into a ponytail. "Yep" he said, kissing the back of her neck. "Your brother and Bonnie asleep?" he asked her.

"Yep" Elena said, turning around in his arms and placing her own arms around his neck.

Stefan smiled, leaning down and kissing her softly. "I want to frame that picture of Lily and Brooke at the hospital" he said, resting his head against hers and smiling. "I think it is one of my favorites."

Elena smiled, pulling away from him and walking to her dresser. She pulled out a photo frame and walked back over to him. "I beat you to it" she said, handing it to him.

Stefan took the frame from her and stared at it, smiling even more. It was even more perfect than he had remembered. "Thank you" he told her, taking the photo and setting it on his nightstand for now. "I love it."

Elena crawled into bed, holding the covers open for him. He crawled in as well, turning the lamp off and wrapping his arms around her, tucking her into the curve of his body. "Goodnight" she whispered.

Stefan smiled, breathing her in before sighing. "Goodnight" he told her, kissing just behind her ear. He would whisper those words to her every night for the rest of their lives. It was just one of the many things to look forward to.

And even though their love had started out as a lie, it had turned into something truer than either of them could have imagined.

**A/N: End. **

**However, I may do a sequel for this story at a later time. Stay tuned!**


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